Spouses of fallen U.S. service members are facing financial burdens that aren鈥檛 likely to go away on what鈥檚 known as the 鈥渨idow鈥檚 tax.鈥�
It鈥檚 an offset that impacts the way survivor benefits are paid out from the federal government after a service member dies. When a widow qualifies for multiple benefit programs, they can receive money from one 鈥� but for every dollar they get from that program, a dollar is taken away from the money they receive from the other.
Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama blasted his colleagues on the Senate floor last week for not making progress on a legislative fix despite wide bipartisan support.
鈥淚t is no wonder that the American people think Congress and Washington in general is just completely broken,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚f we can鈥檛 fight for military widows and spouses who are having their survivor benefits shortchanged, then who are we going to fight for?鈥�
Critics of the so-called widow鈥檚 tax say it creates not only a financial burden, but also . Sue Story of Roseville, California, is one of 65,000 people across the country impacted by the offset, and tells Here & Now she wants it gone.
Her husband, Dennis Story, died three years ago. He served more than two decades in the Air Force, including time overseas during the Vietnam War.
鈥淗e absolutely loved the fact that he served his country,鈥� Story says.
Story, 65, says her husband retired when he was in his early 40s, and that he paid $40,000 into the Department of Defense鈥檚 , one of two benefit programs for military widows. The other is the program from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a standard benefit spouses become eligible for when the government determines a death was service-related.
Story says she was expecting to get paid out of both funds 鈥� about $1,300 a month from the Survivor Benefit Plan, and $1,100 a month from the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation 鈥� which would have given her plenty to survive on. But she says she is only getting the $1,300 a month from the Survivor Benefit Plan.
She says she remembers a meeting she and her husband had at their local veterans service organization. Dennis knew he was dying, but took solace in the fact his wife would receive money from both benefit programs. Then the couple learned that wouldn鈥檛 be the case.
鈥淢y husband cried. I only saw him cry twice, and that was the first time,鈥� Story says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably the hardest part because we had just bought a house and we had planned on me receiving both [the Survivor Benefit Plan] and the [Dependency and Indemnity Compensation], which would have made it enough so that I could survive for till I died.鈥�
The primary issue driving the difficulty of doing away with the widow鈥檚 tax is the federal budget. Doing so would cost the government $5.7 billion over 10 years.
Story says she isn鈥檛 sure what she will do if the offset remains in place, but that she is hopeful Congress can intervene.
鈥淎nywhere in civilian life if you pay for a life insurance policy, it鈥檚 not crossed off the book because another life insurance policy is out there,鈥� Story says. 鈥淚t really affects me a lot. I鈥檓 supporting two disabled adults in my home 鈥� family members. I鈥檓 trying to figure out how to do it. I mean, I鈥檓 not young 鈥� I can鈥檛 go back to work.鈥�
There are two bills under consideration that take up the issue: the and the , in the House and Senate, respectively.
鈥淚 believe with all my heart that if [either] bill gets put in front of President Trump, he will sign [it]. This makes no sense that this is being done to us,鈥� Story says.
produced this interview and edited it for broadcast with , and adapted it for the web with .
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