Lois Evelyne Shaff v. United States of America, Dr. Mark Hans, Secretary of the Air Force, and Max Cleand, Administrator of Veterans Affairs, Luz Zoraida Velandia Shaff, Plaintiff-In Intervention-Appellant v. Lois Evelyne Shaff, United States of America, Dr. Mark Hans, Secretary of the Air Force, and Max Cleand, Administrator of Veteran Affairs, Defendants-In-Intervention-Appellees

695 F.2d 1138 Lois Evelyne SHAFF, Plaintiff, v. UNITED STATES of America, Dr. Mark Hans, Secretary of the Air Force, and Max Cleand, Administrator of Veterans Affairs, Defendant. Luz Zoraida Velandia SHAFF, Plaintiff-in Intervention-Appellant, v. Lois Evelyne SHAFF, United States of America, Dr. Mark Hans, Secretary of the Air Force, and Max Cleand, Administrator of Veteran Affairs, Defendants-in-Intervention-Appellees. No. 82-4041. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Sept. 16, 1982. Decided Jan. 4, 1983. John J. Ford, III, San Francisco, Cal., for plaintiff. Jerry K. Cimmet, San Francisco, Cal., for defendant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Before WALLACE, KENNEDY and NELSON, Circuit Judges. NELSON, Circuit Judge: 1 This case concerns a dispute between two women, Lois Shaff and Luz Shaff, each of whom claims to be the proper beneficiary of an annuity under the military Survivor Benefit Plan, 10 U.S.C. Secs. 1447-1455 (SBP). SBP provides annuity benefits to designated survivors upon the death of a participating military retiree. The District Court found Lois Shaff, the deceased retiree's first…