Defense Finance and Accounting Service > RetiredMilitary > survivors (2024)

FAQs

What are the survivor benefits for DFAS? ›

The Survivor Benefit Plan provides an ongoing monthly annuity payment to military spouses or children when a military member dies while on active duty, on inactive duty, or after retirement (if the retiree chooses to purchase coverage). * Please see our Survivor SBP Newsletter for the latest news and information.

If a CSRS employee dies, recurring monthly payments may be made to the surviving spouse if he/she completed at least 18 months of creditable service and was covered under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) at the time of death.

SBP premiums are payable for a total of 30 years (360 months) and attainment of at least age 70: Premiums paid for any beneficiary category count toward paid-up status (Spouse, child, former Spouse, etc.). Periods during which there are no eligible beneficiaries, and therefore no premium payments, do not count.

Special situations (divorce, etc.)

If you have spouse coverage and later divorce and wish to continue SBP for your now former spouse, you must convert your SBP election from spouse coverage to former spouse coverage within one year of the divorce decree.

For benefits purposes, we consider a survivor to be the spouse, child, or parent of a worker who dies. That person must have worked long enough under Social Security to be eligible for benefits.

The annuity is 55 percent of the base amount. The base amount and the payments to the surviving spouse will generally increase at the same time and by the same percentage that cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are made to retired pay.

If you retire under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), the maximum survivor benefit payable is 55 percent of your unreduced annual benefit. If you retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), the maximum survivor benefit payable is 50 percent of your unreduced annual benefit.

The maximum combined survivor benefits that can be selected for a former spouse(s) and current spouse is 50% of your FERS benefit or 55% of your CSRS or CSRS Offset benefit.

The maximum survivor benefit under CSRS available for a spouse or former spouse is 55% of your unreduced annuity. Your annual annuity is reduced by 2-1/2% of the first $3,600 and 10% of the remainder to provide this benefit.

Your military pension does not affect your Social Security benefits. You'll get your full Social Security benefit based on your earnings. Survivors benefits may affect benefits payable under the optional Department of Defense Survivors Benefit Plan.

Do I get my husband's VA benefits if he dies? ›

A VA Survivors Pension offers monthly payments to qualified surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime Veterans who meet certain income and net worth limits set by Congress.

Surviving spouse, at full retirement age or older, generally gets 100% of the worker's basic benefit amount. Surviving spouse, age 60 or older, but under full retirement age, gets between 71% and 99% of the worker's basic benefit amount.

The maximum SBP annuity for a spouse is based on 55 percent of the member's retired pay (or in the case of a member who retires under REDUX, the retired pay the member would have received if under the high-three retirement system). However, a smaller amount may be elected.

To request to withdraw from SBP, please fill out, sign and date the SBP Withdrawal Consent Form (DFAS CL Form 1077). A request for withdrawal requires the written consent of the beneficiary or beneficiaries. Consent for a dependent child may be given by a parent, step-parent, foster parent or guardian.

It is important to understand that in cases in which a former spouse is awarded a percentage of a military retiree's retired pay, and SBP coverage is elected for the former spouse (either voluntarily or involuntarily), the former spouse, in effect, pays a portion of the SBP premiums in an amount proportionate to the ...

The Survivor Benefit Plan is a Department of Defense sponsored and subsidized program that provides up to 55 percent of a service member's retired pay to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the member.

Military retired pay stops upon the death of the retiree. The Survivor Benefit Plan allows a retiree to ensure, after death, a continuous lifetime annuity for their dependents. The annuity, based on a percentage of retired pay, pays eligible survivors an inflation-adjusted monthly income.

For qualified surviving spouses with no dependents:

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)/Minimum Income Annuity (MIW) limitation is $11,102. If you have medical expenses, you may deduct only the amount that's above 5% of your MAPR amount ($555 for a surviving spouse with no dependent child).

The short version: Spousal benefits are available to retired workers' spouses or ex-spouses. They pay up to 50% of a worker's monthly retirement or disability benefit. Survivor benefits are paid to a surviving spouse or surviving ex-spouse when a Social Security beneficiary dies.