Director's Message


Greetings from cold and sometimes-snowy Cleveland!

Welcome to the third edition of the DFAS Survivor SBP Newsletter. In this newsletter, our focus is on you, the family of our military retirees and those who died in service. We began this newsletter because we know that navigating Survivor Benefit Plan rules can be difficult.

We hope this newsletter will “light the way,” answering some of the questions you have about your SBP annuity. If you are an Active Duty or Line of Duty survivor who chose the Optional Annuity for Dependent Children, please see the special article in the Spotlight with specific information for you.

Our biggest news again this coming year is the SBP-DIC Offset Phased Elimination. The second phase begins in January, and this edition will provide you with the latest information on what you can expect and when.

It’s December, and we all want to focus on the holiday season. But this yuletide month also brings something else. It’s the beginning of tax season again. As we enter another tax season, we want to make sure you are aware of all of the options available for getting your tax documents. Our Tax Season Tips article should help with that.

Our status notifications initiative continues to expand, and in this issue, we highlight several new documents that you can receive status notifications for when you submit.

In our “Did You Know?” article, we again provide useful tips and tidbits of interest to survivors.

We will continue to share news of interest to survivors in our quarterly DFAS Retiree Newsletter, and twice a year we will also provide this focused newsletter especially for you. We hope this newsletter, along with our other communications tools, will help to clarify your annuity

Please share this information with your community of survivors. 

Remember, our website puts a lot of helpful information at your fingertips. Check it out: https://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary. Look for “Survivors and Beneficiaries” in the menu for links of special interest to survivors.

We honor the service and sacrifices made by you, your family, and your loved one. We are proud to serve those who have served, and we wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.

 

Page updated Dec 9, 2021