The final version of the fiscal 2020 defense budget would phase out the so-called "widow's tax" over three years if passed. For decades, military families have tried to change a policy that has kept about 65,000 surviving military spouses nationwide from receiving their full survivor benefits. The National Defense Authorization Act proposal would eliminate, over the course of three years, a system by which survivor compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs is deducted from annuities provided by the Defense Department-funded Survivor Benefit Plan. Read more on Military.com.