Confused about Social Security GPO affecting husband's benefits - reapplication required?

The GPO is definitely confusing but I can clear this up for you. The Government Pension Offset typically reduces spousal benefits by two-thirds of your government pension amount. If that reduction brings your spousal benefit to zero, that's why you were denied. You don't necessarily need to reapply, but you DO need to verify if anything about your situation has changed that might affect the calculation. For example, has your pension amount changed? Has your spouse's benefit amount increased? These factors could impact whether you'd now qualify for at least some partial benefit despite the GPO reduction.

GPO is a SCAM designed to steal benefits from hardworking teachers and public servants!!! My brother lost THOUSANDS because of this unfair rule. The whole system is rigged against government workers. Why should we be punished for choosing careers that serve the public?? Write to your congressperson because they're the only ones who can change this ridiculous policy!

To clarify on the calculation: As a spouse, you'd typically be eligible for up to 50% of your wife's benefit (so about $1,200 based on her $2,400 benefit). But the GPO would reduce that by 2/3 of your pension ($1,800), which means your spousal benefit would be reduced to zero since $1,200 - $1,800 is negative. Unless something has changed in either amount, the April appointment will likely confirm the same determination. However, it's still good to have that appointment to make sure everything was calculated correctly the first time.

I went thru the EXACT same thing!! My husband worked for state highway dept (non SS job) and I got denied spousal benefits too because of that GPO thing. We didn't know about this rule until we actually applied. So frustrating!! Did they explain during your phone call if anything might have changed since your first application? Like, sometimes they adjust the calculation based on COLA increases and stuff.

Actually, I'd recommend keeping that April 2nd appointment for a few reasons: 1) The Social Security rep can verify ALL possible benefits you might be eligible for, not just spousal benefits 2) They can check if you qualify for any exceptions to GPO that might apply in your specific case 3) They can explain your future options when your own retirement age approaches 4) If your wife's benefit amount has increased with recent COLA adjustments, the math might be slightly different now The GPO calculation is usually straightforward, but there are sometimes complexities that only become clear during a full review of your case. Better to have all options explored than to potentially miss out on benefits you're entitled to.

I've been trying to get through to my local SS office for THREE WEEKS about a similar issue with my WEP calculation (different but related to GPO). The phone lines are ALWAYS busy or disconnect me after hours on hold. How did you manage to get through? Did you call right when they opened? Use some special trick? I'm desperate to talk to someone before my benefits get messed up!

Keep your appointment! These rules are so complicated and change all the time. Make them explain EXACTLY how they calculated the offset. Bring all your pension statements and your wife's benefit info. And TAKE NOTES during the meeting so you have a record of what they tell you. I've caught them making mistakes on my GPO calculation TWICE!

my mom had same gpo problem. cant you just wait til ur full retirement age? doesnt the gpo go away then?

After you go to that April appointment, please come back and share what they told you! I'm in a similar boat (husband has a state pension) and I'm trying to figure out if I should even bother applying for spousal benefits on his record. The whole GPO thing makes my head spin!!!

One more important thing to check during your appointment: make sure they've properly accounted for any Social Security-covered work you might have done in addition to your non-covered government job. Sometimes people have mixed employment histories with both covered and non-covered work, which can affect how the GPO is applied. If you have at least 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security in addition to your government work, you might be exempt from GPO entirely. This is rare but worth confirming.