October 5, 1971
Page 34973
By Mr. MUSKIE:
S. 2654. A bill to amend chapter 73 of title 10, United States Code, to establish a survivor benefit plan, and for other purposes. Referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I am today introducing legislation to establish a survivor benefit program for retired military personnel. This bill will provide an opportunity, at a reasonable cost, for all career members of the Armed Forces to leave a portion of their retired pay to their survivors. Such survivor benefits would supplement existing social security benefits. The bill will also provide minimum income guarantee for present military widows to assure an income of at least $2,000 per year.
This bill is identical to H.R. 10670 which was introduced as a clean bill by Congressman OTIS PIKE in the House on September 14. H.R. 10670 supersedes H.R. 984 on which hearings were held in the House Armed Services Committee this summer. The new bill incorporates Defense Department recommendations and various technical perfecting changes that resulted from the excellent work done by Congressman PIKE and his colleagues on the Armed Services Committee.
Mr. President, there is at present no universally applicable system which automatically provides for survivors' rights in the retired pay of military personnel. This is one of the few gaps in an otherwise comprehensive program of fringe benefits available to military personnel.
Present programs of survivor protection for retired military personnel are incomplete and inadequate. And since the military man retires relatively early, this is a problem of some magnitude.
This bill provides a viable solution to this problem. It was drafted on the basis of two broad general concepts: to build on the foundation provided by social security, and to parallel, to the extent feasible, the successful survivor benefits program of the civil service retirement system.
This bill provides a fair level of income replacement for survivors. It calls for some cost sharing at a reasonable level by the retiree that meets the Government's obligation to survivors. It is acceptable in terms of its financial demands on the Government. It is generally applicable to all military retirees. And, it can be easily understood by members of the retired community and their dependents.
I hope that the Senate will act on this legislation, which has already been reported to the House by the House Armed Services Committee, to fill this gap in survivor benefits for career members of the U.S. Armed Forces.