New legislation looks to change how surviving military spouses receive benefits

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WFXG) – A brand new bipartisan invoice goals to shake up how advantages for members of the family of deceased service members obtain advantages. Underneath present guidelines, members of the family lose spousal advantages in the event that they re-marry earlier than the age of 55. 

Tammy McCracken’s husband David served our nation for years. She says she was with him each step of the best way till he tragically misplaced his life 11 years in the past. 

“We form of moved all around the world, lived all over the place,” she mentioned. “The ache of dropping David was fully insufferable.”

She says the months after dropping David had been hazy, however there was one assertion from survivor outreach companies that caught out to her.

“They mentioned hey by the best way, should you’re interested by remarriage, you cant till at the moment it was 57. Otherwise you lose your entire advantages,” she recalled. 

Underneath present legal guidelines a surviving partner may lose all survivor advantages in the event that they remarry and are beneath the age of 55.

“For me its like my husband fought for our nation for 30 years, it was him that served, however I used to be there too,” McCracken mentioned. 

These guidelines may change beneath the brand new Love Lives on Act, a bipartisan invoice launched by Republican Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Democratic Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock. 

The brand new laws would enable surviving spouses to retain their survivor advantages upon remarriage, whatever the age. 

“Its not simply service members that present up, their households do,” Sen. Warnock mentioned.  “There’s nothing about their shifting on that deletes the service that they’ve already offered.”

Senator Warnock says introducing this laws is vital for him due to Georgia’s wealthy navy background.

“Individuals who characterize us and who serve us, and get the very best for us. Must get the very best from us,” he mentioned. 

For Tammy, she says she hopes this act passes partly so she doesn’t should signal a letter annually certifying that she has not remarried. 

“It’s like you want to report in. It’s like it’s some kind of entrance ticket to a sporting occasion that you simply didn’t wish to go to anyway,” she mentioned. 

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