What is DD Form 2656-2? It is a Department of Defense form titled DD Form 2656-2, SBP Termination Request, April 2009, and its job is straightforward: Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Termination Request. That single line covers most of what people want to know before they download it.
Is there a version specific to your service? No. A DD number is issued at Department level, which is the whole point of the prefix — every military department and defense agency works from one identical document. Looking for a branch variant wastes time you do not have.
Who is behind it? not stated maintains the form, and not stated is the publication that requires it. Those two names answer most questions about why you are being asked to submit anything at all.
Which edition should you have? not stated, listed as not stated. A copy dated otherwise is a copy worth replacing.
What the form asks for
- Section 2. Retired member identification. 1. Name: last, first, middle initial.
- 2. Social security number. Do not include dashes.
- 3. Retirement date (date retired pay commences): 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- Section 3 - Termination Request. 4. Retiree. a. Signature
- 4. b. Date signed. 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day
- Section 4 - Spouse concurrence. 5. Spouse. a. Signature
- 5.b. Date signed: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 5. c. Printed name: last, first, middle initial
- 5. d. Social security number. Do not include dashes.
- 6. a. Witness name: last, first, middle initial.
- 6. b. Military installation, If applicable
- 6. c. Title
- 6. d. Signature.
- 6. e. Date signed: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 6. f. Street address
- 6. g. City
- 6. h. State
- 6. i. Zip code
- Press this reset button to clear the data from all fields
Download the form
What formats exist for this form? PDF. What is the scale of it? 2 pages and approximately 19 fields.
Why do two kinds of pdf exist? Because two kinds of user exist. One completes the form on screen and forwards a file; the other prints a blank and fills it by hand. The fillable release has interactive boxes, the printable release is a static image of the same page.
Does typing matter? It does. Your completed form will probably be scanned, forwarded and filed, and typed text comes through each of those steps unchanged while handwriting degrades. If pen is your only option, block capitals give the receiving clerk a fighting chance.
Why will not the xfdl file open? Because it is not a pdf. Xfdl belongs to IBM Lotus Forms, long the Department's electronic form format, and it needs IBM Lotus Forms Viewer or an equivalent reader installed first.
Is there a charge? No — free, all formats. Where should you open the file? In a full pdf application on your own machine. Browser-embedded viewers handle field properties unpredictably.
Can you skip around the form? Better not to. The layout runs identification, then content, then certification, and entries near the bottom frequently take their meaning from what sits above them.
Why does the edition matter so much here? Because DD forms are revised centrally. When the Department reissues one, it reissues it for all branches simultaneously, and the field layout can shift. Compare the printed date against not stated before you type anything.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
Who receives it? The office not stated designates, subject to whatever local instruction your organization adds. What do you keep? A copy, made before the form leaves your hands.
Do you need to know which branch issued a related form? No. DD numbering is Department-wide and unified, which means the number on its own is a complete address for the document.
Can you assume a matching number is the same form? No, and this is where downloads go wrong. Read the prefix. Army numbering and Department numbering are independent systems, so the digits alone tell you nothing about which document you need.
Why do editions change at all? Three reasons, mostly: the prescribing directive gets reissued, the information collected changes, or the required notice language is amended. Are you notified when it happens? No. Which is why confirming not stated at the moment you download is worth the few seconds.
Is any of this advice? No. This page distributes a published Defense form and explains its contents, which is a different thing from telling you whether your circumstances qualify or whether a reviewer will accept your copy. Direct questions of eligibility, applicability and procedure to not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office designated in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2656-2?
- DD Form 2656-2, SBP Termination Request, April 2009
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?