Off-set Elimination

Phase Out of SBP DIC Offset

2023 NDAA Survivor Benefit Plan Open Season

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) provides eligible beneficiaries with a benefit called an annuity, a monthly payment for the beneficiary’s lifetime.  The amount of this benefit is typically 55 percent of the retiree’s retired pay at the cost of 6.5 percent of monthly retired pay.  SBP is paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

Congress provided for a Survivor Benefit Plan Open Season in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by the President on December 23, 2022 The SBP Open Season begins on December 23, 2022 and ends on January 1, 2024. The SBP Open Season allows for retirees receiving retired pay, eligible members, or former members awaiting retired pay who are currently NOT enrolled in SBP or RCSBP (Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan) to enroll.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a benefit paid monthly to eligible survivors through the VA. To qualify for this benefit, you must be the spouse, child, or dependent parent of a veteran who died while serving on active military duty or as a result of a service-connected disability or who had a disability rating of totally disabled for a certain length of time before death. Guardmembers and reservists who were activated for federal military service and later separated are considered veterans.

The PDFs on this page contain recent information about the phased elimination of the off-set that had been in place for many years that MOAA and other organizations worked tirelessly to change.