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| Wilson Hails Agreement to End Widow’s Tax |
October 08, 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 announced a conference agreement that accepts the House-passed agreement to provide relief to military survivors.
Wilson was a conferee working on reconciling the House and Senate versions of the bill. A provision to end the widow’s tax, also known as the Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP), was part of both the House and Senate plans, however, the House plan was a rapid three-year phase-out that improved on the Senate’s 10-year version.
“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.”
On Monday, Wilson and Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, were joined by 207 House colleagues in a letter urging the conference to retain the House provision. The agreement provides faster relief to military survivors than the Senate bill. It phases out the annuity reduction over three-and-a-half years, and features a one-year open season for new enrollees.
Wilson has 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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