Bottom line
The Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) lets a retirement-eligible Reserve Marine lock in a monthly payment for their survivors if the Marine dies, including before they ever start drawing retired pay. You make this decision once you are officially notified you are eligible for retirement (20 years of qualifying service). You get three options. The big trap: if you are married and do not make an election within 90 days of that notification, you are automatically enrolled at full spouse coverage.
What it means for you
A Reserve retirement normally does not pay out until age 60. RCSBP fills the gap. It lets you guarantee your survivors a monthly annuity of up to 55 percent of your retired pay, even if you die before age 60 and before the pay ever starts. It also keeps your survivors eligible for other retirement benefits like medical care and a dependent ID card.
This is a one-time decision window, and the clock starts when you are notified you have hit 20 good years. Read your options before you sign anything, because the default if you do nothing (and you are married) is full spouse coverage, with the cost taken out of your retired pay later. If you decline, or pick less than the maximum, your spouse has to sign off, witnessed by a notary.