[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          OUR MILITARY SURVIVORS DESERVE FAIRNESS AND EQUITY!

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2003

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to speak about a 
bill to restore equity to the survivors of our nation's veterans, the 
Military Survivors' Equity Act (H.R. 1592).
  It is hard to believe that we continue to condone a system that 
penalizes the aging survivors, mostly widows, of the veterans of our 
country, but that is exactly what the Military Survivors' Benefit Plan 
does! When a member of the military retires, he or she may join the 
Survivors' Benefits Plan, known as the SBP. After paying a premium for 
many, many years, the retiree expects that his or her spouse will 
receive 55 percent of the retired military pay if the veteran dies. But 
this is not the case!
  As I said, most of the survivors who receive SBP benefits are 
military widows. You may not realize that when these widows who are 
receiving SBP benefits turn 62, a Social Security offset causes their 
benefits to be reduced from 55 percent to 35 percent of their husband's 
military retired pay. This occurs even when the Social Security comes 
from the wife's employment!
  What does this reduction mean to our nation's military widows? I have 
received many, many letters on this topic. Let me read from two:

       My husband, who served in the Army for 20 years, was on 
     Social Security disability because of heart problems and 
     could no longer work. He died when I was 61 years old. I was 
     doing okay, paying my monthly bills and having enough left 
     for groceries, but when I turned 62, I was notified that my 
     SBP was reduced from $476 to $302. What a shock! This was my 
     grocery money that they took away from me.

  And a second--

       While my husband was alive, we worked out a budget for me 
     in case he died. I felt secure in the knowledge that he had 
     provided for me by joining the Survivors Benefits Plan. I 
     could not believe it when I learned that I was not going to 
     get the amount we were promised. I cannot believe that our 
     government would do this to the widow of a veteran.

  It is past time to change this misleading and unfair law. We must 
provide equity to the surviving spouses of our military retirees. My 
bill would fix this problem by eliminating the callous and absurd 
reduction in benefits and give what is expected and what is deserved: 
55 percent of the military retired pay. To put it simply, no offset. A 
simple solution to a difficult problem, as equitable solution to a 
mean-spirited practice.
  Colleagues, please join me in co-sponsoring H.R. 1592, the Military 
Survivors' Equity Act. Let us do this for our veterans and for their 
surviving spouses. Let us stop the pain and anguish that we are causing 
them.