Can my husband collect spousal benefits from my SSDI while receiving a reduced pension? WEP confusion

Sounds like your husband got hit by the GPO (Government Pension Offset) and WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision). These are BRUTAL for public service workers! My dad was a firefighter and lost most of his SS benefits too. Not fair at all considering he paid into both systems.

To answer your question - yes, the application your husband submitted should still be in the SSA system. However, as long as he receives his government pension, the GPO will continue to affect any spousal benefits he might be eligible for from your record. The GPO typically reduces spousal benefits by 2/3 of the government pension amount. If 2/3 of his pension exceeds the spousal benefit amount, he would receive nothing from your record, which appears to be what happened in your case. This situation wouldn't change when your SSDI converts to retirement benefits at your FRA. The GPO would still apply. The only thing that might change things is if he were to stop receiving his government pension (which is unlikely and probably not financially advantageous).

my wife had simlar situation she worked for county government for 22 years. they took almost all her ss away because of that stupid rule!!! we paid in all those years and now get nothing back its highway robbery if you ask me

There's a distinction here that's important to understand. Your husband is likely affected by both GPO and WEP: 1. WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduced his OWN Social Security benefit from $1000 to $300 because he receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security. 2. GPO (Government Pension Offset) is what's affecting his ability to collect spousal benefits on your record. To directly address your question: Yes, the application remains in the system. However, he will continue to be affected by GPO when you reach FRA. The calculation won't change - his spousal benefit will still be reduced by 2/3 of his government pension. Also note that if something were to happen to you, survivor benefits would be calculated differently than spousal benefits, and he might qualify for some survivor benefits even with the GPO reduction.

Having dealt with this exact scenario with my clients, I can tell you that calling SSA directly is your best bet for getting clarity on your specific situation. Unfortunately, the hold times are ridiculous these days! I've had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to an SSA agent quickly. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Helped me avoid hours of waiting when I needed to sort out a complicated WEP/GPO situation similar to yours. In your case, you specifically want to ask about the status of your husband's spousal application and how it will be treated when you reach FRA. Get the answer documented if possible.

has your husband looked into the WEP guarantee? if he has 30+ years of substantial earnings under social security the WEP doesnt apply at all. and if he has 20-29 years it gets reduced. might help a little bit

I'm so confused by all these acronyms. Is SSDI different from regular Social Security? And what's the difference between WEP and GPO? They sound like the same thing to me. Does WEP apply to spouses too or just the person with the pension? Sorry for all the questions but I'm trying to understand because my wife works for a school district that doesn't pay into SS.

My father-in-law went through something like this. What they don't tell you is that once you're at full retirement age, you should check again with SS. Sometimes the calculations change and you might be eligible for more. The whole system is designed to be confusing so people don't get everything they're entitled to!

I'm dealing with a similar mess right now. My husband has a federal pension and I'm on SSDI. The whole system seems designed to punish people who worked in public service. Have you talked to a financial advisor who specializes in federal benefits? We found one who really helped us understand our options better than any SSA rep could.