Behind each devastating death in the military community is a family left to grieve an immense loss. Standing behind these military and veteran survivors is the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), the national nonprofit organization that has \u2014 for 30 years \u2014 been the trusted source for immediate and peer-based emotional support, assistance in accessing benefits, and survivor advocacy. TAPS works closely with the survivors it serves, members of Congress, state and local governments, and federal stakeholders \u2014 including the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs \u2014 to advocate for the needs of military and veteran survivors and advance policy that impacts their lives after unspeakable loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TAPS will be joined on Capitol Hill by surviving families from all over the country from Sept. 23-26 for TAPS Gold Star Families Advocacy Week. Survivors as young as 8 years old will share with members of the House and Senate how they have been personally impacted by the issues below \u2014 TAPS\u2019 legislative priorities. Their powerful stories will lead the way to change for the entire military survivor community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pass Comprehensive Remarriage Legislation<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Love Lives On Act<\/i> is a top legislative priority for TAPS. It seeks to secure surviving military spouses\u2019 right to remarry at any age and retain their survivor benefits. The Love Lives On Act<\/i> would:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Allow surviving spouses to retain their benefits upon remarriage at any age (removing the current age requirement, 55). This includes the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and education benefits under the Fry Scholarship and Dependents Education Assistance (DEA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Allow remarried surviving spouses to regain their TRICARE benefits if their remarriage ends due to death, divorce, or annulment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Remove the \u201cHold Themselves Out to Be Remarried\u201d clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Improve Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for Eligible Surviving Spouses<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
TAPS continues to work with Congress to pass the Caring for Survivors Act, <\/i>which would bring Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments in line with benefits for surviving spouses of federal employees. DIC is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of military service members who died in the line of duty or from a service-connected injury or illness. TAPS continues to work with Congress to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Increase DIC from 43 percent to 55 percent the rate of compensation paid to a 100 percent disabled veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Reduce the timeframe a veteran needs to be rated totally disabled from 10 to five years, expanding DIC eligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Provide Tricare and Civilian Health and Medical Program for the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) Young Adult Coverage in Parity with the Affordable Care Act (ACA)<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
TAPS supports the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act<\/i>, which would allow TRICARE young adults to remain on their parent\u2019s policy up to age 26 without a premium increase, and TAPS seeks to expand coverage for eligible surviving children up to age 26 through the passage of the CHAMPVA Children\u2019s Care Protection Act. <\/i>TAPS is committed to working with Congress to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Pass the CHAMPVA Children\u2019s Care Protection Act<\/i> to ensure surviving families with young adults have access to affordable health care and mental health benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Pass the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act<\/i>, which would allow TRICARE young adults to remain on their parent\u2019s policy up to age 26 without a premium increase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":108418,"menu_order":0,"template":"single-native-legacy","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"11"},"advertiser":[3458],"class_list":["post-70863","native","type-native","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","advertiser-taps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DM5ZTMQO5VHTXICLFUQD4W32GE","arc_canonical_url":"\/native\/TAPS\/2024\/09\/01\/taps-gives-military-and-veteran-survivors-a-voice-on-capitol-hill\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"native-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n