(This article by Kimberly Lankford originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members who can log in to access our digital version and archive. Basic members can save on a membership upgrade and access the magazine.)

Pat and David Green were married years after the latter retired from the U.S. Army as a colonel. David started his career in the Army Corps of Engineers building temporary bridges in Europe. He later spent time in weapons ordnance as a project manager.

He was married to his first wife, Peggy, during his 24-year Army career, but she died after he retired from the military and moved to Altamonte Springs, Fla., to work for Martin Marietta, a supplier of building materials.

David and Pat, pictured, got married several years later, and since Pat didn’t know David until after he left the military, she wasn’t familiar with the benefits for which she was eligible as a surviving spouse.

In fact, she almost missed out on a benefit that ended up being very valuable.

[UPDATED MONTHLY: MOAA’s Surviving Spouse Corner]

Indeed, the procedure for collecting survivor’s benefits can be more complicated for second marriages. Peggy had been David’s Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) beneficiary, and when she died before him, it seemed like that plan would go away.

But years after David and Pat married, he heard about an open season for SBP where one could pay back past premiums and reenroll.

After paying $12,000, he was able to make Pat his SBP beneficiary, and she has been receiving the monthly income, which is adjusted for inflation, since he died from a 2005 hiking accident.

“It certainly has changed my life since my husband died, and I’ve gotten older and I’ve come to depend on SBP,” Pat said. “If you’re a second wife or if the SBP went to a dependent who is no longer alive, investigate what that open season can mean. It’s amazing how many people I’ve known who had the same circumstances as me, and it really has been a huge benefit,” said Pat, who now helps other surviving spouses as a member of MOAA’s Surviving Spouse Advisory Council.

[RELATED: Member-Exclusive Survivor Publications From MOAA]

Notably, SBP open seasons are generated by significant changes to laws, regulations, or policies. Retirees, spouses, and surviving spouses can never really know if or when one will occur. The 2023 SBP open season took place in response to the 2019 elimination of the “widows tax,” also known as the Survivor Benefit Plan-Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset, which wasn’t fully phased in until 2023.

There have only been five open seasons since the inception of SBP in 1972, and each can be limited in scope of participants.

For additional information about surviving spouse programs and resources, visit MOAA.org/survivors.

Kimberly Lankford is a financial expert based in Virginia and the spouse of a retired Army colonel.