Ask Your Senator to Support the SBP-DIC Offset Correction

Helping Military Widows is a Responsibility

With the recent agreement to bring the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act to the Senate floor in the near future for consideration, an opportunity now exists to aid military widows and survivors and make the Survivor Benefit Plan/Dependency Indemnity Compensation (SBP/DIC) Offset correction.

To offset the SBP, which is a program retired service members paid into, by the amount of the DIC, which is an earned benefit by the virtue of the service member dying from a service-connected disability, is wrong.

Tell your senators that SBP/DIC Offset correction needs to be one of the 24 amendments offered to the NDAA and that they should not support any secondary amendments to once again delay action.

Senator Warner is now looking to have this issue go back for another study - NAUS is asking you to let your Senators know that you want this issue to go through - now. NAUS has an easy way for you to do so; all you do is fill out a little information, and click to send - it will automatically go to your Senators, with a copy to you by email. It took under a minute for me to send mine. Here's the text of the pre-written letter they provide:

I am asking for your support in stopping Senator Warner's attempt to have the SBP-DIC Offset problem once again postponed by directing the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) to conduct, yet again, another study of the problem.

There have been at least three prior comprehensive studies done. This issue does not need to be passed off to the VDBC in an attempt to delay and not give widows and survivors the benefits they are entitled to.

A vote is expected on Senator Nelson's amendment and Senator Warner's secondary amendment on Tuesday.

Please tell Senator Warner that you will not support delaying actions on a solution to aid military widows and survivors.

They also offer you the opportunity to print out, rather than email, their form letter. For more on this issue, visit:

National Association for Uniformed Services

Military Officers Association of America (a good description of what the issues are)

Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees

All of the above locations have the same type of easy form letter for you to use.