Survivor & family.
Protecting the people who depend on your military retirement — survivor annuities, and how divorce affects the pension, VA compensation, and a former spouse’s benefits.
Every guide in this cluster
Is SBP Worth It? The 6.5% Survivor Benefit Decision
The premium, the 55% annuity, the paid-up rule, and the eliminated SBP-DIC offset. A worth-it analyzer for the most expensive election most retirees never revisit.
The Military SBP Opt-Out
Retired pay stops at death. The 55% survivor benefit, the 6.5% premium, the notarized-consent rule, and why declining SBP is nearly permanent — with a calculator.
Military Divorce and the USFSPA: Dividing Your Pension
The coverture formula, the Frozen Benefit Rule, the truth about 10/10 and 20/20/20, and how a VA waiver reshapes the split — with a former-spouse share estimator.
VA Disability in Divorce: What’s Divisible and What’s Not
VA disability can’t be split as property (USFSPA, Howell) but counts as income for support. The waiver’s effect, the 2026 apportionment change, and a divisible-vs-protected calculator.
The 20/20/20 Rule: Military Benefits for Divorced Spouses
Lifetime TRICARE, commissary, and exchange for an unremarried former spouse who clears three 20-year tests. The 20/20/15 fallback, how remarriage ends it, and why pension division is separate — with an eligibility checker.
Back to the full pillar
This is one cluster of the Military Retirement pillar. Explore the pension, disability & concurrent receipt, and health & taxes in the full pillar.
← Back to Military Retirement