This bill updates federal survivor benefits for D.C. police, firefighters, and teachers by extending eligibility to domestic partners, adjusting remarriage rules, and allowing federal employees to count past D.C. service toward their federal retirement benefits.
Eleanor Norton
Representative
DC
The National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act Technical Corrections Act of 2026 updates federal survivor benefits for District of Columbia police, firefighters, and teachers by extending eligibility to domestic partners and aligning remarriage policies with federal standards. Additionally, the bill allows certain federal employees to make voluntary deposits to include past District of Columbia service in their federal retirement benefit calculations.
DC First Responder Benefits Update: Domestic Partners Included and Remarriage Rules Relaxed by 2026
This bill, the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 Technical Corrections Act of 2026, is essentially a cleanup crew for federal benefits. It fixes a long-standing gap in how the federal government handles retirement and survivor benefits for DC’s police officers, firefighters, and teachers. The main goal is to bring these rules into the modern era by recognizing domestic partnerships and ensuring that a person’s decision to remarry doesn’t unfairly strip them of their financial security.
Modernizing the Family Unit
For a long time, the federal program that pays out survivor benefits for DC first responders and teachers was stuck in a time capsule. This bill updates that program to treat domestic partners exactly like spouses when it comes to survivor benefits. Specifically, it applies local DC laws from 2008 and 2018 to federal benefit calculations. Imagine a firefighter who has been in a committed domestic partnership for twenty years; under this bill, their partner would finally be eligible for the same federal survivor protections as a married spouse. It’s a significant shift that recognizes the reality of modern households and ensures that the families of those who serve the District aren't left behind because of a technicality in how their relationship is labeled.
The Remarriage Rule Refresh
One of the most practical changes in this bill involves the 'remarriage penalty.' Currently, many survivors risk losing their benefits if they decide to marry again. This bill aligns DC survivor rules with those of other federal employees. The new standard is simple: if you are a surviving spouse, your benefits won't stop unless you remarry before the age of 55. Even then, there is a major exception—if you were married to the deceased officer, teacher, or judge for at least 30 years, you keep your benefits regardless of when you remarry (Section 2). This means a widow who spent three decades supporting a police officer's career won't have to choose between financial stability and a new chapter in her life.
Buying Back Your Time
For those who have moved between working for the DC government and the federal government, this bill offers a way to consolidate those years. Section 3 allows federal workers to make a voluntary deposit into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund to count their past DC service toward their federal retirement. For employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), this costs 1.3 percent of the basic pay they earned during that DC service, plus interest. It’s a 'buy-in' option that lets a teacher who moved into a federal agency role, for example, ensure their entire career counts toward one pension, potentially leading to a much larger monthly check in retirement.