RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Thousands of surviving military spouses could soon be spared from losing key veterans benefits if they choose to remarry under a new bill advancing in Congress.
The proposed Love Lives On Act, which is included in a broader veterans package known as the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (TCAVA), would eliminate what advocates have long called the military's "remarriage penalty."
“We're forcing these surviving spouses who've already been through the worst event of their life to now choose between love and financial stability in many cases,” Republican Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina said previously. “And it's just not right.”
Under current law, many surviving spouses lose certain survivor benefits if they remarry before age 55.
According to survivor advocacy group Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), roughly 50,000 surviving spouses currently receiving benefits could continue to receive them after remarriage if the legislation becomes law. And an estimated 4,750 surviving spouses who previously lost benefits because they remarried would see those payments restored.
For decades, surviving spouses of service members who died while serving or from service-connected causes have faced a difficult choice on whether to preserve their financial benefits or remarry.
The current policy is thought by some to unfairly punish spouses for rebuilding their lives after the loss of a loved one.
However, the change could provide substantial financial relief. DIC currently provides surviving spouses with approximately $1,700 per month. Under existing law, those payments generally end when a surviving spouse remarries before age 55.
The Love Lives On Act would allow eligible surviving spouses to:
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, within two years of enactment, approximately 4,750 surviving spouses who previously lost DIC eligibility would begin receiving payments again. Meanwhile, another 1,350 surviving spouses who lost eligibility for the military's Survivor Benefit Plan because of remarriage would also have benefits restored.
“This proposal would end what some military families see as an unfair penalty that can force surviving spouses to choose between remarriage and keeping benefits earned through their loved one’s service,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek .
“Supporters argue a surviving spouse should not lose financial support simply because they decide to rebuild their personal life after tragedy, but while the bill does have some bipartisan support, it will more than likely have difficulty passing until Congress can work out the financial component to maintain and expand benefits.”
The average age at widowhood is surprisingly young: 59 years old, on average, across both men and women in the US, according to the Surgeon General's Office.
“When we look at just active military families, the average age is 32,” Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek . “That is awfully young to face the choice between keeping well-earned benefits or finding love and stability with a new spouse.”
The Love Lives On Act has been folded into the broader Take Care of America's Veterans Act, a legislative package containing dozens of veterans-related proposals.
Lawmakers could consider the package later this year.
If Congress approves the measure and it is signed into law, tens of thousands of surviving military spouses would be able to retain or regain benefits regardless of whether they choose to remarry.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas
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