i went thru this with my mother last year!!! the SSA people told her she wasnt eligible but that was WRONG!! we had to talk to a supervisor to get it fixed. they kept saying she remarried but she NEVER did. if they give u trouble, ask for supervisor right away dont take no for answer.

One more thing to consider - if your mother is receiving any SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or other means-tested benefits in addition to her Social Security retirement, the increased income from survivor benefits could affect her eligibility for those programs. It's almost certainly still worth applying for the higher survivor benefit, but be aware there might be effects on other benefits she receives.

To give you some concrete numbers about WEP, with 23 years of substantial earnings, your WEP reduction won't be the full amount. The maximum WEP reduction for someone reaching 62 in 2025 is about $613 per month, but with 23 years of substantial earnings, your reduction would be significantly less - about 70% of that maximum. Delaying until 70 still increases your WEP-reduced benefit by 8% per year beyond FRA. Since GPO is likely eliminating most or all of your spousal benefit anyway, focusing on maximizing your own benefit might be your best strategy. Consider requesting a detailed benefit calculation from SSA that shows your WEP-adjusted amounts at different claiming ages. This will give you the specific numbers to make your decision.

i think everybody born after 1954 got screwed by that law change!! my brother in law was born in december 1953 and got to do the restricted thing but my sister missed it by 3 months. not fair!!

If you're determined to maximize what you can get, here's what I'd suggest: 1. Consider working part-time to earn those final 3 quarters. In 2025, you need to earn about $1,640 per quarter to get a credit. So that's around $4,920 total to get your 40 quarters. 2. Once you have 40 quarters, you'd be eligible for your own benefit (though it will be small and reduced by WEP), but it might be more than what you'd get as a spouse after the GPO reduction. 3. Request a detailed benefits calculation from SSA. They can run the numbers with and without the additional credits to help you make an informed decision. 4. Make sure SSA has your complete earnings record. Sometimes quarters from decades ago can be missing, and you might actually be closer to 40 than you think. Additionally, both WEP and GPO have maximum reduction amounts, so in some scenarios, it might be worthwhile to understand exactly how these would impact your specific situation.

I want to thank everyone for all this helpful information. I'm going to try that Claimyr service mentioned above to actually speak with someone at SSA without the endless waiting and disconnections. I'm also going to look into part-time work to get those last 3 quarters - even if the benefit is small, it sounds better than nothing. The whole GPO situation is really disheartening. I had no idea my teaching career would end up reducing benefits I might have received through my husband's record. I wish there had been better retirement planning resources specifically for teachers when I was younger. If anyone has had success getting benefits despite GPO or has found other strategies, I'd still love to hear about them!

One other thing your sister should know - the survivor benefit is 100% of what he was receiving ONLY if she waits until her FRA. If she takes it early (even a month early), it's permanently reduced. The reduction can be as much as 28.5% if taken at age 60. And don't forget to ask about disabled widow benefits if she's disabled herself - different rules apply. The emotional toll of all this paperwork and decisions while grieving is just awful. Please encourage her to get everything in order now while he can help. Maybe even set up a specific file with all the documents she'll need later.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: She should ask about her husband establishing a "protective filing date" for his SSDI application as soon as possible, even before they have all documentation ready. This preserves an earlier entitlement date, which could affect backpay and Medicare eligibility. And when the time comes for her survivor benefits, she should specifically mention the "LSDP" (Lump Sum Death Payment) - it's only $255 but many people don't know to ask for it. Also, she should inquire about her eligibility for disabled widow's benefits if she has any disability herself, as different rules apply. Finally, I'd suggest both of them look into setting up my.ssa.gov accounts now if they haven't already.

i thought the earnings limit was $18,240? thats what my friend told me when i was thinking about applying early

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll wait for the mid-October announcement before finalizing my work plans for next year. And I'll definitely check out those email updates. It's frustrating that they make this so complicated, but at least I understand it better now.