Active Duty/Line of Duty Survivors Spotlight: Can You Help Us Spread the Word About the SBP Optional Child Annuity Changes? 

In 2023, the law changed to allow SBP annuitant to receive benefits from both SBP and the VA (DIC spell out). There are families and surviving spouses eligible to receive SBP, that we have not heard from. Please help us spread the word to those families, surviving spouses or children who may be eligible to receive Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments.
Some families may not know they are eligible for payments, especially if the child or children turned 18 or 22 years old and payments had stopped at that time.   

Here are a few facts about this 2023 change to the Survivor Benefit Plan:  

• When a service member died on active duty or inactive duty, in the line of duty, after October 7, 2001, the surviving spouse could request to have the SBP payments made to an eligible child or children. This was called the Optional Annuity for Dependent Children or the “Optional Child Annuity.”   

• When the Optional Child Annuity was requested, after the child or children were no longer eligible, no SBP was paid.   

• The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 repealed the authority for the Optional Annuity for Dependent Children as of January 1, 2023. This means the SBP annuity now reverts to the surviving spouse if she or he submits documentation and is eligible.   

• The SBP annuity can now be paid to the eligible surviving spouse even if the SBP payments had stopped many years ago because Optional Child Annuity was requested and the child/children were no longer eligible.  

• An eligible SBP child annuitant can still receive the SBP monthly payment if DFAS receives documentation that the surviving spouse is not eligible.   

Thank you for your help in spreading the word! Please see our special focus webpage for details regarding the changes.