Bill Nelson: “Today I submitted an amendment to the fiscal year 2005 National Defense Authorization bill that would eliminate the…”

“Today I submitted an amendment to the fiscal year 2005 National Defense Authorization bill that would eliminate the current offset against annuities paid by the Department of Defense Survivors' Benefits Plan--SBP--for Veterans Administration Dependency and Indemnity Compensation--DIC. I ask for my colleagues' support for this amendment and invite their cosponsorship. Unfortunately, many of us do not realize that a reduction similar to the current offset rules for military retirement and veterans' disability compensation applies to the survivors of military retirees enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Plan--SBP. Payments for the survivors of our retirees from the military Survivor Benefit Plan--SBP--are reduced by benefits payable from the veterans' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation--DIC--program. Thus, surviving spouses of 100 percent disabled military retirees generally cannot receive benefits through both the retirement system and the veterans' disability system. Over the last few years we have made a tremendous effort to repeal the law that prohibits concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for our military retirees.”