Can my 88-year-old father (CSRS postal worker) now qualify for survivor benefits after my mother's 2023 death?

Yes, the GPO (Government Pension Offset) still applies to survivor benefits just like it did to spousal benefits. If your father receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security (like CSRS), his survivor benefits will be reduced by 2/3 of his government pension. So with a $4,200 CSRS pension, the offset would be $2,800. That means if your mother's widow benefit would be less than $2,800, he'd receive nothing. If it would be more, he'd get the difference.

my neighbor was postal too and he got some $$ when his wife died but not the full amount. something about a new law?? you should check with SSA directly they can tell you for sure

I think you might be referring to the WEP/GPO reform that's been proposed in Congress several times but hasn't passed yet. The Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate the GPO and WEP penalties for government workers, but it's still just a bill that hasn't become law. However, your father should still apply for survivor benefits! Even with the GPO reduction, if your mother's benefit was substantial, he might get something. Also, SSA sometimes makes mistakes calculating GPO, so it's worth having them do the official calculation. The application process for survivor benefits has a time limit - generally you should file within 6 months of death for maximum retroactive benefits, but since it's been more than a year, I'd recommend applying immediately to avoid losing any more potential benefits.

My condolences for your loss. Definitely apply regardless! My uncle was CSRS and got a small survivor benefit even with GPO. Every situation is different. You'll need your mom's death certificate, marriage certificate, dad's CSRS pension statement, and both their Social Security numbers. Good luck!

The whole GPO thing is SUCH a ripoff for federal workers!!! My dad paid into the system for 15 years before becoming a postal worker and gets NOTHING from those contributions. Meanwhile my mom gets nothing from his record either because of this stupid rule even though they were married 52 YEARS! The system is rigged against federal employees and Congress doesn't care!!!

Have you tried calling Social Security directly? Good luck getting through! I spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone about my survivor benefits. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to SSA in 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The SSA rep was able to check my specific situation and tell me exactly what I qualified for, which was different than what I thought based on online research. Sometimes the calculations are complicated with GPO situations and only SSA can give you the exact answer.

One more thing to consider - if your mother had divorced and remarried at any point, or if your father remarries in the future, that could affect eligibility for survivor benefits. The marriage must have lasted at least 9 months for survivor benefits (with some exceptions), and remarriage after 60 doesn't affect eligibility. Just mentioning in case any of these special situations apply.

hope ur dad gets something! the rules r so confusing

After you apply, you can appeal if you disagree with their determination. Many people don't realize there's a formal appeals process. The first level is called "Reconsideration" and must be filed within 60 days of receiving their decision. About 15-20% of reconsiderations result in a changed decision, so it's worth trying if you think they made an error in the calculation.