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| Wilson Works to End Widow’s Tax; Letter Signed by 207 Colleagues |
October 06, 2004 |
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| Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, an original co-sponsor of the plan to end the tax on veterans’ spouses, today urged the conference to support the House-passed plan to provide relief to military survivors.
The provision to end the widow’s tax, also known as the Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP), is part of the House-passed 2005 Defense Authorization Bill. Wilson is a conferee working on reconciling the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Today, Wilson and Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, were joined by 207 colleagues to urge the conference to retain the House provision. The House bill provides faster relief to military survivors than a 10-year phase-out in the Senate bill. The House bill phases out the annuity reduction over three-and-a-half years, and features a one-year open season for new enrollees.
“This is very important for our World War II surviving widows,” Wilson said. “Widows and widowers of veterans shouldn’t be losing their pensions because they’ve become eligible for Social Security.”
The House bill (Fiscal Year 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 4200) passed 391-34 in May. Wilson has already worked extensively on this bill, as the only member of New Mexico’s Congressional delegation who serves on an Armed Services committee with jurisdiction over the military.
The bill improves the Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP) with a Wilson-cosponsored increase that eliminates the Social Security offset by increasing the annuities paid to survivors of military retirees who are 62 or older.
“We are making important progress for our veterans and their families,” Wilson said. “Fixing the inequity in the Survivor Benefit this year will build on last year’s improvements to concurrent receipt and record funding for veterans’ health care.”
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