About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

B-133142,B-178696 1 (1978-09-06)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadgil0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 




                                    11


                       '-7    THE  COMPTROLLs.ER       WfENERAL
 1DECISIMO1\l.              .. OFTHr      UNITIeC      tiTATES
                  4           IVASHINGTON,        0,C.   20540




FILE:  0-133142                      DATE:  September 6  1978
        B-178696
MATTER OF;       Survivor Benefit Plan - Waiver of
                erroneouis annuity paymnents

DIGEST:     The Department of Defense suggests waiver
            under 10 US.C, 1453 (1976) of overpayments of
            Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities made to
            a large group of annuitanta over a nearly
            5-year period due to administrative failure to
            Increase the reduction in annuities caused by
            a change in the Social Security law, Since the
            annuitants are without fault, and in the cir-
            cumstances recovery of the overpayments would
            be contrary to the purposes of the SDP, the
            Comptroller General co.curs in waiver of the
            overpayments.

     This action  is in response to a letter dated June 2', 1978,
 from the Assistart Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Reserve
Affairs and Logivtics),  requesting concurrence by this Office
with  the proposed action of the Department of Defense to waive
recovery of overpayments of annuities made to certain surviving
spousnt  under  the Survivor Benefit Plan (SRiP), 10 U.S.C. 1447-
1455  (1976), as a result of administrative error.

     The SAP  requires a statutory reC'iction In annuities payable
 to widows or widowers based on their entitlement to Social
 Security benefits attributable to the deceased member's military
 service (10 U.S.C. 1451(a)). At the  time of enactment of the
 SeP (September 21, 1972), the Soci.l Security laws maximized
 surviving spouse benefits at 82,5 percent of -lie amount the
 deceased worker would be entitled to if still living.     Effective
 January 1, 1973, the Social Security laws were amended by
 Public Law 92-603 to change that amounL to up to a maximum of
 100 percent of the deceased worker's entitleeivnt.    Department of
 Defense regulations (DOD Instruction 1332,2?), did not take the
 Social Security benefit change into account before it was issued
 on January 4, 1974. As a result, SBP payments made after
 January 1, 1973, to such annultants, who were also entitled to
 Social Security benefits, were not sufficiently reduced.     This
 resulted in overpayments of annuities until Oc'obur 1977, when
 the Department of Defense took corrective. actin in response to
 our letter report, 11-133142, September 1, 1977, which identified
 the administrative error. The Assistant Secretcary states that





       L_ --


P I

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most