The National Military Veterans Alliance and The Military Coalition are working in partnership for improvements to the military survivors’ benefit plan (SBP). This week, Sen. Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA) plans to offer an SBP Amendment to end the unfair Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity reduction for military survivors age 62 and older, during the full Senate debate on the FY 2005 Budget Resolution. A vote on the Amendment could be as soon as Thursday.

It's important to take advantage of this “one shot” opportunity to get SBP in the Budget Resolution by flooding Senators with communications to vote “Yes” when the amendment is offered.

An alert from the MOAA, “48 senators have signed on to cosponsor one or more of the bills that would end this unfair “SBP Widows Tax” (Sen Snowe’s S.451 or Sen Landrieu’s S. 401 and S. 1916). We need to let our senators and others know that this is one of the most important votes of the year for the military community. A country at war has a moral obligation to ensure fair treatment for military widows.”

There are three was to get in touch with your Senators:

1). The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) has posted a prepared email “Support Senate SBP Amendment” link to send to your Senators at http://capwiz.com/moaa/home/.

2). Or, your can modify the message that reads as follows and use it to compose your own message:

2. The government subsidy for the military SBP program has dropped to 19%, well below the 40% subsidy intended by Congress.

3. The military SBP program falls far short of what the government provides federal civilian survivors, who get 50% or 55% of retired pay for life, with no reduction at any age...and who enjoy far higher government subsidies.

I urge you to vote FOR Sen Landrieu's amendment, which would provide budget headroom to enact S. 1916 and phase out this grossly inequitable "military widows tax."