Retirees must report marital changes promptly

Air Force retirees are required to report marital status changes to the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and the Defense and Finance Accounting Service.

Retirees must advise a uniformed service identification card issuing facility about any dependent additions within 30 days. Entering a new spouse in DEERS and getting a dependent identification card is imperative for documenting eligibility for military benefits. Retirees must also report a new marriage to DFAS. Retirees married for the first time, or who remarried after retirement, must notify DFAS to properly establish or re-establish their desired Survivor Benefit Plan coverage.

Laws governing the Survivor Benefit Plan, or SBP, carefully outline program policies. A retiree who was not married at the time of retirement has one year from the marriage date to enroll a new spouse. Retirees forfeit the opportunity to participate in the program if they fail to apply within one year.

A retiree, who was married at retirement and originally elected SBP spouse coverage, can elect to cover a future spouse if the previous marriage ends in divorce or death of the spouse. In the event of divorce, a future spouse may be covered only if the divorce decree does not contain language mandating the retiree’s need to provide former-spouse SBP coverage.

A retiree who was married at retirement and declined SBP spouse coverage cannot later enroll in the plan on behalf of that spouse or any future spouse unless a congressional open enrollment period is authorized. The last time Congress authorized an open enrollment was Oct. 1, 2005, through Oct. 1, 2006.

Retirees who marry for the first time or who originally elected SBP coverage for a previous spouse and would like to provide SBP coverage for their current spouse, should report their marriage to DFAS using a DD Form 2656-6, Survivor Benefit Plan Election Change Certificate. They must attach a copy of the marriage certificate for DFAS to use in processing the request.

Retirees with suspended spouse coverage may elect not to resume spouse coverage upon remarriage. A request to terminate suspended spouse coverage must be received by DFAS before the first anniversary of the remarriage. Failure to notify DFAS to terminate suspended spouse coverage before the first anniversary of the new marriage will result in SBP coverage being automatically reinstated.

For assistance with any SBP actions, call 877-353-6807 to reach the nearest Air Force SBP representative.

Taken from the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Afterburner, the e-newsletter for USAF retired personnel