UPDATE!
(as of 9 Dec 16)
(as of 9 Dec 16)
The Committee Report to Accompany S. 2943 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 includes language that remedies all concerns highlighted on this website (95letters.com).
The Bill passed the House 375-34 and the Senate by 92-7, more than enough to override a presidential veto if needed.
You can read a recent news article by Anna Giaritelli at the Washington Examiner at the following link…
The Bill passed the House 375-34 and the Senate by 92-7, more than enough to override a presidential veto if needed.
You can read a recent news article by Anna Giaritelli at the Washington Examiner at the following link…
Although it’s difficult to understand out of context of the parent legal code (title 10), you can find the full text on page 395, Section 642 “EQUAL BENEFITS UNDER SURVIVOR BENEFIT – PLAN FOR SURVIVORS OF RESERVE COMPONENT MEMBERS WHO DIE IN THE LINE OF DUTY DURING INACTIVE-DUTY TRAINING” at the following link…
Consider two Air Force majors...one is a reservist and each has 18 years of service. Both perish when their aircraft crashes on Tuesday while the reservist is on active duty (AD) status. The family of each pilot receives monthly survivor benefit payments of $2,908. Now…the same aircraft crashes on Wednesday while the reservist is on inactive duty training (IDT) status. The active duty family receives monthly payments of $2,908 while the IDT family receives $969.
Also, the AD family is eligible for other survivor benefits not afforded the IDT family to include:
1) Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance
2) Annuity calculations with a disability rating as total
3) The choice to extend SBP eligibility directly to dependent children
In January 2012, 95 letters were sent to the surviving spouses and directly to the children of deceased guardsmen and reservists across the DoD stating a “significant error” was made when accounting for their loved one's administrative pay status at the time of death.
As a result, survivor benefit payments the families had counted on for years were drastically lowered and in many cases stopped altogether.
In light of these letters many are learning for the first time of the ongoing disparities in survivor benefits for the family of a member who dies on “Active Duty” status versus a member on “Inactive Duty Training" status even when both occur "in the line of duty".
H.R. 1770 was introduced into the 113th Congress by Congressman Jason Chaffetz (UT - 3rd) on 26 April 2013 to end these inequalities for the families of our military members who made the ultimate sacrifice. It was re-introduced into the 114th Congress on 28 April 2015 as H.R. 2053.
Now...we need your help to get as many congressional co-sponsors as possible!!
For more information see the "Advocates" and "Key Documents" tabs on this website.
Also, the AD family is eligible for other survivor benefits not afforded the IDT family to include:
1) Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance
2) Annuity calculations with a disability rating as total
3) The choice to extend SBP eligibility directly to dependent children
In January 2012, 95 letters were sent to the surviving spouses and directly to the children of deceased guardsmen and reservists across the DoD stating a “significant error” was made when accounting for their loved one's administrative pay status at the time of death.
As a result, survivor benefit payments the families had counted on for years were drastically lowered and in many cases stopped altogether.
In light of these letters many are learning for the first time of the ongoing disparities in survivor benefits for the family of a member who dies on “Active Duty” status versus a member on “Inactive Duty Training" status even when both occur "in the line of duty".
H.R. 1770 was introduced into the 113th Congress by Congressman Jason Chaffetz (UT - 3rd) on 26 April 2013 to end these inequalities for the families of our military members who made the ultimate sacrifice. It was re-introduced into the 114th Congress on 28 April 2015 as H.R. 2053.
Now...we need your help to get as many congressional co-sponsors as possible!!
For more information see the "Advocates" and "Key Documents" tabs on this website.