I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2000

To amend title 10, United States Code, to increase the minimum Survivor

Benefit Plan basic annuity for surviving spouses age 62 and older,

and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 27, 1999

Mr. SCARBOROUGH (for himself, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr.

PICKERING, and Mr. SMITH of Washington) introduced the following bill;

which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To amend title 10, United States Code, to increase the

minimum Survivor Benefit Plan basic annuity for surviving spouses age 62 and older, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Survivor Ben5 efits Improvement Act of 1999’’.

6 SEC. 2. COMPUTATION OF SURVIVOR BENEFITS.

7 (a) INCREASED BASIC ANNUITY.—(1) Subsection

8 (a)(1)(B)(i) of section 1451 of title 10, United States

9 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘35 percent of the base
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1 amount.’’ and inserting ‘‘the product of the base amount

2 and the percent applicable for the month. The percent ap3 plicable for a month is 35 percent for months beginning

4 on or before the date of the enactment of the Military Sur5 vivor Benefits Improvement Act of 1999, 40 percent for

6 months beginning after such date and before October

7 2004, and 45 percent for months beginning after Sep8 tember 2004.’’.

9 (2) Subsection (a)(2)(B)(i)(I) of such section is

10 amended by striking ‘‘35 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘the per11 cent specified under subsection (a)(1)(B)(i) as being appli12 cable for the month’’.

13 (3) Subsection (c)(1)(B)(i) of such section is

14 amended—

15 (A) by striking ‘‘35 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘the

16 applicable percent’’; and

17 (B) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The

18 percent applicable for a month under the preceding

19 sentence is the percent specified under subsection

20 (a)(1)(B)(i) as being applicable for the month.’’.

21 (4) The heading for subsection (d)(2)(A) of such sec22 tion is amended to read as follows: ‘‘COMPUTATION OF AN23 NUITY.—’’.

24 (b) ADJUSTED SUPPLEMENTAL ANNUITY.—Section

25 1457(b) of title 10, United States Code, is amended—
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1 (1) by striking ‘‘5, 10, 15, or 20 percent’’ and

2 inserting ‘‘the applicable percent’’; and

3 (2) by inserting after the first sentence the fol4 lowing: ‘‘The percent used for the computation shall

5 be an even multiple of 5 percent and, whatever the

6 percent specified in the election, may not exceed 20

7 percent for months beginning on or before the date

8 of the enactment of the Military Survivor Benefits

9 Improvement Act of 1999, 15 percent for months

10 beginning after that date and before October 2004,

11 and 10 percent for months beginning after Sep12 tember 2004.’’.

13 (c) RECOMPUTATION OF ANNUITIES.—(1) Effective

14 on the first day of each month referred to in paragraph

15 (2)—

16 (A) each annuity under section 1450 of title 10,

17 United States Code, that commenced before that

18 month, is computed under a provision of section

19 1451 of that title amended by subsection (a), and is

20 payable for that month shall be recomputed so as to

21 be equal to the amount that would be in effect if the

22 percent applicable for that month under that provi23 sion, as so amended, had been used for the initial

24 computation of the annuity; and
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1 (B) each supplemental survivor annuity under

2 section 1457 of such title that commenced before

3 that month and is payable for that month shall be

4 recomputed so as to be equal to the amount that

5 would be in effect if the percent applicable for that

6 month under that section, as amended by this sec7 tion, had been used for the initial computation of

8 the supplemental survivor annuity.

9 (2) The requirements for recomputation of annuities

10 under paragraph (1) apply with respect to the following

11 months:

12 (A) The first month that begins after the date

13 of the enactment of this Act.

14 (B) October 2004.

15 (d) RECOMPUTATION OF RETIRED PAY REDUCTIONS

16 FOR SUPPLEMENTAL SURVIVOR ANNUITIES.—The Sec17 retary of Defense shall take such actions as are required

18 by the amendments made by subsection (b) and the provi19 sions of subsection (c)(1)(B) to ensure that the reductions

20 in retired pay under section 1460 of title 10, United

21 States Code, are adjusted to achieve the objectives set

22 forth in subsection (b) of that section.

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