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Sean Kelly
To summarize what everyone has said: 1. Yes, an ex-spouse married 10+ years can file for benefits on your record (equals up to 50% of your FRA benefit amount) 2. The Government Pension Offset would reduce any spousal/ex-spousal benefit by 2/3 of his pension amount 3. He doesn't need your birthplace to apply - SSA has that information 4. There could be Medicare premium advantages even if his Social Security benefit is reduced to $0 by the GPO If you're uncomfortable, don't provide the information. He can work directly with SSA for any legitimate benefit application.
Thank you so much for this clear summary! I've decided not to provide the birthplace information and instead suggested he work directly with SSA. Everyone's insights have been incredibly helpful.
my husband had government pension (firefighter) and we went thru this whole mess last year. the GPO wiped out EVERYTHING he might have gotten from my record. total waste of time!!!! 😡
Yes, this is extremely common with the GPO. Most people with substantial government pensions end up with $0 in Social Security spousal benefits after the reduction. The system seems punitive to those who worked in public service.
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Ally Tailer
Quick update on what a "summary matrix" might be - after checking with a colleague who worked at SSA, they believe the representative might have been referring to a "Detailed Earnings Query" (DEQY) or "Summary Earnings Query" (SEQY), which are internal SSA documents that do sometimes carry a fee for copies (around $82 for a certified copy). However, these are earnings documents and completely unrelated to birth date corrections. For a simple DOB correction, you only need your birth certificate and ID. The representative was either confused or misinformed you.
Brian Downey
•Thank you so much for checking on this! I think you're right - they must have been confused. I managed to get through on the phone this morning (after several attempts), and the new representative I spoke with confirmed I only need my birth certificate and ID. I have another appointment scheduled for next week.
Jacinda Yu
Glad to hear you got better information! DOB corrections are actually pretty routine for SSA. Make sure to bring the original birth certificate (or certified copy with the raised seal) to your appointment. Once corrected, I recommend printing a copy of your Social Security Statement afterward to verify the change was properly made in the system.
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be carful about the GPO thing... it can really reduce ur benefits. my mom was a teacher in texas and lost almost ALL of her widow benefits bcuz of GPO. they took like 2/3 of it away!!! did anyone calculate how much ur actually gonna get after GPO reduction? might not be worth all this trouble honestly
This is exactly what worries me. I haven't had anyone calculate the exact GPO reduction yet. I know my PERA disability pension is about $2,450/month, and I believe my ex's Social Security benefit was around $2,800. Does anyone know how to calculate how much I'd actually receive?
The GPO reduction is typically 2/3 of your PERA pension amount. So if your pension is $2,450, approximately $1,633 would be deducted from any Social Security spousal or survivor benefit. If your ex's benefit was $2,800, you might receive around $1,167 monthly after the GPO reduction ($2,800 - $1,633). However, this is a rough estimate - the actual calculation can be more complex based on your specific situation.
DONT WAIT!!!! Contact your rep NOW! The backlog is getting WORSE not better. My mom waited 5 months for her widow benefits appointment and lost out on money because of it!!!
That's concerning to hear. I'll look up my representative's contact info today. Did your mom eventually get her retroactive benefits, or did she lose those completely?
She got some retroactive pay but not all she was entitled to because of confusion about her filing date. That's why I'm saying DON'T WAIT - get your rep involved ASAP! They have staff who deal with SSA problems all day long.
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To clarify something important: With WEP, the maximum reduction in 2025 would be approximately $587 (50% of the first bend point). But since your husband has 22 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, his WEP reduction should be less than the maximum. Specifically, each year over 20 years reduces the WEP penalty by 5%. With 22 years, the reduction would be 10% less than the maximum, so approximately $528 instead of $587. If the SSA incorrectly thinks his pension just started, they might be applying some prorated calculation for 2025 only, which could explain the $150 difference. This is definitely worth pursuing with them.
Amina Diallo
•Exactly right. Another thing that might be happening is they could be applying the WEP phase-in rules incorrectly. If they think the pension just started in 2025, they might be prorating the WEP reduction for that year, which would explain why their figure is $150 less than expected. It's a temporary advantage that would likely be corrected later and could result in an overpayment notice.
Arjun Patel
Another resource - many Area Agencies on Aging have benefit counselors who can help navigate this process and provide guidance on elder financial abuse. They often have specialists who understand both SSA benefits and elder protection. Here's a link to find the Arizona offices: https://des.az.gov/services/older-adults/area-agency-aging
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Evelyn Rivera
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've contacted Adult Protective Services and will be flying out next week to help my sister-in-law. My nephew is going to try to get her a phone appointment with SSA before I arrive. I'm relieved to know she should be getting the full survivor benefit amount. I'll update once we get this resolved.
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Isaac Wright
•Good luck! And remember to get all bank accounts secured too - that's often where financial abuse happens even after benefits are properly set up.
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