Retirees to Get a Second Chance to Enroll In or Opt Out of the Survivor Benefit Plan

SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN FOR MILITARY RETIRED VETERANS SHARE OF THE DAY

Military retirees who opted out of a valuable survivor’s benefit when they left active duty will get a rare second chance to enroll thanks to a new rule in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The same measure allows currently enrolled users to leave the program.

Retirees typically get only one chance to enroll in the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). Those who opt in usually name their spouses as the beneficiaries, said Mark Belinsky, director of currently serving/retired affairs for the Military Officers Association of America and an Army retiree.

The SBP is like a life insurance policy with no cap. After a retiree dies, the SBP pays a beneficiary up to 55% of the retiree’s retirement pay, adjusted for inflation, monthly for the rest of the surviving spouse’s life, or till a child reaches an age cap.

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