Sen Webb Co-Sponsors bill to improve Survivor Benefits Plans

[maxrandb]

For the longest time, Senator Bill Nelson has been trying to pass a bill that would benefits the surviving spouses of military members that die on active duty. What some may not know, is that we in the military pay a monthly premium to the SBP. This provides some coverage for our spouses if we die on active duty. What some may not know is that our "retirement" is not vested. There have been horror stories of guys that have retired from the military, collected one retainer check, and then die. Without SBP, their spouses get nothing. The VA Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC)Program does provide some coverage to spouses until they remarry. (Or as we like to say, if you don't know Dependent Indemnity Compensation "you don't know DIC!") but I digress. The way it works is that your SPB is reduced by whatever DIC pays. So you may be a spouse who has lost your soul provider in war, the way it works now...you may "not get DIC"!

I've bolded one of the things that is most troubling about this bill. Do you know that removing the offset would cost $9 Billion? Do you know that, although $9 Billion is a lot of money, it's just a fraction of the tax-cut the Republicans gave to the wealthy? Do you know that $9 Billion over the life of this benefit is $391 Billion less than what we have spent in the past 3 years in Iraq on "reconstruction"? Do you know that Bush opposes providing this benefit to our military families?

Go Senators Webb and Nelson. It's time this country started getting it's priorities straight.

http://www.statepulse.com/Virginia/2007/04.25.07.webb.pr.htm

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb has joined a colleague’s longrunning effort to permit the widows and widowers of more than 170,000 military retirees to combine the survivor benefits they collect from the Department of Veterans Affairs with payments from the Defense Department’s Survivor Benefits Plan.
The Pentagon currently reduces Defense Department payments by an amount equal to the monthly sum the widowers and widows receive from the VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program.
The Defense Department’s benefits plan is an insurance program, and participants pay a monthly premium during their time in uniform. But when participants die from service-related causes, and thus are eligible for the VA’s compensation program, that benefit is used to offset all or part of the Defense Department’s payment. The Pentagon also refunds a prorated portion of the participant’s benefits plan premiums – without interest – in such cases.
“If a member of our U.S. armed services is killed or injured in the line of duty, the compensation the VA provides for spouses should not be counted against the survivors’ earned and purchased retirement benefits,” said Webb, D-Va.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has been spearheading efforts to end the offset of the Defense Department’s benefits plan for several years and has gained substantial bipartisan backing in the Senate. But the Pentagon puts the cost of the dual benefit at more than $9 billion over 10 years, and the Bush administration has opposed the change.

Just have to add..."Support the troops my ASS!"

[PDJane]

1. I agree............

The way that the military treats soldiers and their spouses and children is despicable...and it's mostly hidden from the public.

Why?

Does anyone think a stupid yellow ribbon is helping the soldiers? Find out what the military is being paid, find out how many percs they have to pay back, look at what kind of treatment they receive......it's outrageous.

[maxrandb]

2. What's even more outrageous is

that every single thing that we have. Every single benefit that has been passed to make our lives better has BEEN A DEMOCRATIC PARTY SPONSORED BENEFIT

Montgomery GI Bill - Thank the Democrats
Largest ever military pay raise - Thank Democrat Jimmy Carter
Thrift Savings Plan - Thank the Democrats
Armed Forces College Fund - Thank the Democrats
Increased Funding for Veterans Medical Care - Thank the Democrats
Integrating of the forces - Thank the Democrats
US Military Apprenticeship Program - Thank the Democrats
Increased Overseas COLA - Thank the Democrats
Survivor Benefits Plan - Thank the Democrats
Serviceman's Group Life Insurance - Thank the Democrats

Oh and probably most important of all...Democrats don't use Sailors, Soldiers, Airman and Marines as political props.

It frosts me that despite all the evidence to the contrary, despite every effort to support and improve the lives of our military...somehow in a Bizzarro World, the Republics are the party that is a strong supporter of the troops??.

Here's how that should be phrased: Democrats Support the troops! Republics support using the troops.

[fedupinBushcountry]

3. We opted for the

SBP in which we paid a minimal amount of like $7 a month until our youngest turned 23 in was eleigible going to college. I was surprised when they dropped it when she was 23 1/2 and she was still in college.

The spouse SBP at the time my husband retired was $100. a month, to get 1/2 of his retirement. Not worth it.