Title: Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act
This bill: (1) repeals certain provisions that require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age, (2) prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund, and (3) requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse.
The Secretary concerned shall restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to the surviving child or children of a member.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 846 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 846

 To amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal the requirement for 
  reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan for 
military surviving spouses to offset the receipt of veterans dependency 
          and indemnity compensation, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2017

 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal the requirement for 
  reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan for 
military surviving spouses to offset the receipt of veterans dependency 
          and indemnity compensation, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Military Surviving Spouses Equity 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT OF REDUCTION OF SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN 
              SURVIVOR ANNUITIES BY AMOUNT OF DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY 
              COMPENSATION.

    (a) Repeal.--
            (1) Repeal.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 10, 
        United States Code, is amended as follows:
                    (A) In section 1450, by striking subsection (c).
                    (B) In section 1451(c)--
                            (i) by striking paragraph (2); and
                            (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 
                        (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Such subchapter is further 
        amended as follows:
                    (A) In section 1450--
                            (i) by striking subsection (e); and
                            (ii) by striking subsection (k).
                    (B) In section 1451(g)(1), by striking subparagraph 
                (C).
                    (C) In section 1452--
                            (i) in subsection (f)(2), by striking 
                        ``does not apply--'' and all that follows and 
                        inserting ``does not apply in the case of a 
                        deduction made through administrative error.''; 
                        and
                            (ii) by striking subsection (g).
                    (D) In section 1455(c), by striking ``, 
                1450(k)(2),''.
    (b) Prohibition on Retroactive Benefits.--No benefits may be paid 
to any person for any period before the effective date provided under 
subsection (f) by reason of the amendments made by subsection (a).
    (c) Prohibition on Recoupment of Certain Amounts Previously 
Refunded to SBP Recipients.--A surviving spouse who is or has been in 
receipt of an annuity under the Survivor Benefit Plan under subchapter 
II of chapter 73 of title 10, United States Code, that is in effect 
before the effective date provided under subsection (f) and that is 
adjusted by reason of the amendments made by subsection (a) and who has 
received a refund of retired pay under section 1450(e) of title 10, 
United States Code, shall not be required to repay such refund to the 
United States.
    (d) Repeal of Authority for Optional Annuity for Dependent 
Children.--Section 1448(d)(2) of such title is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Dependent children.--'' and all that 
        follows through ``In the case of a member described in 
        paragraph (1),'' and inserting ``Dependent children.--In the 
        case of a member described in paragraph (1),''; and
            (2) by striking subparagraph (B).
    (e) Restoration of Eligibility for Previously Eligible Spouses.--
The Secretary of the military department concerned shall restore 
annuity eligibility to any eligible surviving spouse who, in 
consultation with the Secretary, previously elected to transfer payment 
of such annuity to a surviving child or children under the provisions 
of section 1448(d)(2)(B) of title 10, United States Code, as in effect 
on the day before the effective date provided under subsection (f). 
Such eligibility shall be restored whether or not payment to such child 
or children subsequently was terminated due to loss of dependent status 
or death. For the purposes of this subsection, an eligible spouse 
includes a spouse who was previously eligible for payment of such 
annuity and is not remarried, or remarried after having attained age 
55, or whose second or subsequent marriage has been terminated by 
death, divorce or annulment.
    (f) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this 
section shall take effect on the later of--
            (1) October 1, 2017; and
            (2) the first day of the first month that begins after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
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