An Act ensuring annuity eligibility for Gold Star Spouses

SD 1160, titled "An Act ensuring annuity eligibility for Gold Star Spouses," removes a requirement that previously disqualified remarried surviving spouses of military members who died in service from receiving annuities. The bill amends Massachusetts law by deleting the phrase "provided, that the surviving spouse does not remarry" from Section 6B of Chapter 115. This change directly affects Gold Star Spouses (surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty) who have chosen to remarry, allowing them to retain annuity eligibility. The policy shift eliminates a prior barrier to benefits for this group without altering other eligibility criteria.