Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  On Wednesday, U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-06) and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) introduced the bipartisan Protecting the Families of our Fallen Patriots Act in the House to ensure Gold Star families receive the retirement benefits they are entitled to.

“The surviving spouses of our fallen patriots should be allowed to provide for their young children without the worry of losing part of their benefits,” said Waltz. “These struggling families have already made the costliest of sacrifices for our freedoms and we have a sacred obligation to ensure they are cared for. I am honored to introduce bipartisan legislation with a fellow veteran in Congress, Rep. Houlahan, to ensure our Gold Star families receive the full retirement benefits they deserve.”

"We must stand by those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and one way we fulfill that solemn duty is by taking care of their surviving spouses. Right now, there's a critical gap in our support system for Gold Star families, and our bipartisan bill will fix it," said Houlahan. "I am honored to work with Congressman Waltz, a fellow veteran, on this vital effort to ensure families of our fallen heroes receive the full Social Security benefits they are entitled to."

Original cosponsors of this legislation also include Congressmen Don Bacon (NE-02), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03), and Donald Davis (NC-01).

Background:

Surviving spouses of fallen service members are eligible for the “Mother’s and Father’s” benefits to care for children under 16 years. The benefit is 75% of the deceased worker’s primary insurance amount (PIA), which is the benefit the worker would have received had they began receiving their retirement benefit at their normal retirement age. Of note, this benefit does not consider the total number of children that need to be cared for; it is only based on the deceased worker’s benefit.

Social Security has a Retirement Earnings Test (RET). Under the RET, monthly Social Security beneficiaries below retirement age have their benefits reduced if they have earnings exceeding an annual threshold. Currently, they are subject to a $1 reduction in benefits for every $2 of earnings over $21,240. 

The Protecting the Families of Our Fallen Patriots Act would simply exempt the “Mother’s and Father’s” benefit of servicemembers killed in the line of duty from the RET.