HYDE-SMITH COSPONSORS ‘LOVE LIVES ON ACT’

HYDE-SMITH COSPONSORS 'LOVE LIVES ON ACT'

Bipartisan Measure Would Help Spouses of Fallen Servicemembers to Retain Benefits After Remarriage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced she has cosponsored bipartisan legislation to allow spouses of deceased servicemembers to retain their survivor benefits if they remarry.

The Love Lives On Act of 2025 (S.410) would ensure surviving spouses can retain their benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) upon remarriage at any age. The bill was authored by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman.

"Truly honoring the Gold Star families of the service members and veterans shouldn't mean cutting off their benefits as their lives move on after such a tragic loss. This legislation would work to ensure those VA and military benefits are still accessible over the long haul. Senator Moran has worked on this issue for years, and I'm pleased to join that effort," said Hyde-Smith, who has regularly sponsored the Gold Star Families Remembrance Week Resolution.

Current law significantly penalizes surviving spouses if they want to remarry before the age of 55, often forcing surviving spouses with young children to choose not to remarry due to the loss of financial benefits.

The Love Lives On Act would:

• Allow surviving spouses to retain Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) upon remarriage at any age.
• Allow remarried surviving spouses to regain their TRICARE benefits if that marriage subsequently ends due to death, divorce, or annulment.

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), American Legion, and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) are among the organizations that support the Love Lives On Act.

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