This fact sheet provides information to help you understand the provisions of the
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), but is not a contract document. The basic statutory
provisions of the SBP law are in Chapter 73, Title 10, United States Code.
Frequently Asked Questions about SBP
Question: Can an SBP election be changed?
Answer: Elections are generally permanent and irrevocable. Premiums
continue as long as there is an eligible beneficiary. Costs are suspended if a
spouse is lost to death or divorce. If a subsequent spouse is acquired, coverage
resumes automatically at the first anniversary unless the retiree makes a written
request to decline resumption before that date. Child costs stop when the
youngest child exceeds 18 years old (or 22 if unmarried, a full time student and
not in the Uniformed Services).
Q: Can I terminate my participation in the SBP because I have decided to I no
longer need the coverage?
A: Not unless you are within the 25th through the 36th month after
commencement of your retired pay. You must send a completed DD Form 2656-
2 to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service-Cleveland. Your spouse must
concur in your request to terminate spouse coverage and the concurrence must
be notarized.
Q: Will I ever have my SBP coverage "paid-up"?
A: Congress has authorized a law which is not effective until Oct. 1, 2008, that
will end the payment of SBP premiums when a retiree is age 70 and has paid
into the SBP for 360 months (30 years). If a retiree with less than maximum
coverage increased the level of coverage during an open enrollment period or
after remarriage, the premiums will continue for the portion that represents the
increased coverage even after termination of premiums for the original
coverage. Paid-up participants will see their retired pay increase the month
following full enactment (i.e., Nov. 1, 2008) or the month following completion of
360 months' of payment, whichever is later.
Q: I wasn't married when I retired, so if I get married after retirement, may I elect
SBP coverage for my spouse?
A: Yes. You may elect SBP spouse coverage for the first spouse you acquire
after retirement; however, you must elect the coverage before the first
anniversary of your marriage. Complete a DD Form 2656-6 requesting SBP
coverage for your spouse, and provide your spouse's name, Social Security
number, date of birth and a copy of the marriage certificate. You should also
certify that you have not been married from the date that you retired through the
day before marriage to your current spouse. A valid election for SBP coverage
will become effective on the first anniversary of the marriage. The SBP cost will
start effective with the first full month after the first anniversary.
Q: I declined SBP for my spouse when I retired, can I elect spouse coverage
now?
A: No. If you were married at retirement and you declined SBP coverage, there
is no authority to elect spouse coverage after retirement, unless Congress
authorizes an open enrollment period.
Q: My divorce decree requires that I keep SBP coverage for my ex-spouse.
What do I have to do?
A: A spouse loses eligibility as a spouse beneficiary on the date of divorce,
automatically under the law, even if the DFAS-CL is not advised of your divorce.
If you want -- or are ordered -- to provide SBP for your former spouse, send
DFAS-CL a copy of the divorce decree and a DD Form 2656-1, SBP Election
Statement for Former Spouse Coverage, within one year of the date of your
divorce.
Q: I am a surviving spouse who has been receiving SBP annuity payments and I
want to remarry. What affect will the remarriage have on my annuity payment?
A: If you remarry before age 55, the SBP annuity stops the first of the month in
which you remarry and coverage is suspended. If your subsequent marriage
ends because of death, annulment or divorce, your annuity will be reinstated. If
you remarry after age 55, the SBP annuity will continue to be paid. You should
forward a copy of your marriage certificate to DFAS when a remarriage occurs.
