Here's a key detail that often gets overlooked: The way the GPO is applied can sometimes seem like they're ignoring your spouse's work history, when that's not exactly what's happening. Your survivor benefit is first calculated based on your husband's full earning record (including all those manufacturing years). Then, that amount is reduced by 2/3 of your teacher's pension. If your pension is large enough, this can reduce your survivor benefit to zero, making it appear as if his work history wasn't counted at all. For example, if your calculated survivor benefit was $1,800/month based on his full history, but your teacher pension is $3,000/month, the GPO reduction would be $2,000 (2/3 of $3,000), reducing your survivor benefit to $0. This makes it seem like his work history didn't count, when it was actually used in the initial calculation.

I used to work for SSA, and I can tell you that mixed employment cases like yours are among the most complex. Here's what might have happened: 1. Your husband's Social Security benefit was calculated based on ALL his covered employment (manufacturing years) 2. If he had fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, the WEP reduced his benefit 3. When you applied for survivor benefits, you received a percentage of his already-reduced benefit 4. The GPO then further reduced that amount based on 2/3 of your teacher's pension If the Social Security Fairness Act passes, both reductions would be eliminated, potentially increasing your benefit significantly. Until then, I strongly recommend requesting a detailed breakdown of your benefit calculation to ensure no errors were made. Sometimes earnings years are missing from the record or calculations are applied incorrectly.

One thing nobody's mentioned - if your husband goes over the earnings limit in a month, ONLY THAT MONTH'S benefits are affected. It's not like you lose everything forever! And once he reaches full retirement age (66+), the earnings limit goes away completely and he can earn as much as he wants with no penalty. So even if you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world.

wait plasma donations are worth $500 a month???? maybe i should start doing that lol

u should definitely reapply anyway. my aunt got denied three times for disability but kept trying and finally got approved. sometimes u just get a different person reviewing ur case.

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses. I'm going to make an appointment with my local Social Security office to review my specific situation. I'll also try that Claimyr service to speak with someone by phone before my appointment so I'm better prepared. It sounds like I might still get $0 due to GPO, but at least I'll know for sure and can check if they're calculating everything correctly. I'll update this thread after I speak with them in case it helps others in my situation!

my brother in law had almost the same situation and what nobody told him was that some states have agreements with SSA that exempt certain employees from WEP. worth checking if your state job might be exempt!

You need to get your Social Security Statement and also your pension statement, then use the WEP calculator on the SSA website. Don't trust what the regular benefit estimate shows! Here's what affects your WEP reduction: 1. How many years you paid into Social Security with "substantial earnings" 2. Whether your pension is from work where you paid SS taxes 3. When you plan to start taking benefits Last tip: If you haven't retired yet, sometimes working an extra year or two in Social Security-covered employment can significantly reduce the WEP penalty. Worth considering if you're close to another threshold year.

has anyone else noticed that SS office treats you like your stupid when you ask questions??? i swear the lady i talked to about survivors benifits acted like i was wasting her time

One more important point about survivor benefits that hasn't been mentioned yet: If you decide to take your own reduced retirement benefit now and switch to survivor benefits at your FRA, the reduction to your own benefit is permanent. But taking reduced survivor benefits now won't affect your own retirement benefit if you switch to it later. This asymmetry in the rules is why many financial advisors recommend taking the reduced survivor benefit first and then switching to your own retirement benefit at 70 if it would be higher. Also, don't forget that you'll need to provide documentation when you apply: marriage certificate, your wife's death certificate, both your SSNs, and proof of her SSDI status. Having all this ready will make the application process smoother.