Social Security reduced my widow's benefit by $500/month claiming 'prior amount incorrect' - can I appeal?

this happened to me too but mine was only reduced by about $120. i think its because of the government pension offset (GPO) where they reduce survivor benefits if you get a pension from work not covered by social security. did your husband work for government without paying into ss?

Yes, he did work for the county for 28 years, but I thought they already factored that in with the original calculation? Why would they suddenly change it after 18 months? And my understanding was that GPO affects MY benefits if I had a non-covered pension, not my survivor benefits from his pension. This is so confusing!

Your situation involves something called the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO), but it's confusing which one applies here. Since your husband worked for the town, his pension might have triggered this recalculation. WEP/GPO rules are extremely complicated even for SSA employees!I strongly suggest you schedule a meeting with a local SSA office and bring ALL the paperwork - both recent letters, original benefit statements, death certificate, anything about his pension. They need to explain exactly why this reduction happened after 18+ months.If you're having trouble reaching SSA (which is common lately), I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) last month when dealing with my own widow benefits issue. They got me connected to a live agent in 20 minutes after I spent days trying to get through. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

Thank you - I didn't realize WEP/GPO could affect benefits that were already being paid! I'll try to schedule an in-person appointment. I've been calling for 3 days with no luck getting through. I'll check out that Claimyr service if I can't get through soon. I really need to understand exactly what changed in their calculation.

There's likely a recalculation happening due to one of several possible factors:1. The initial calculation may have been provisional and now they've finalized it2. There could be an adjustment related to your husband's government pension (WEP/GPO)3. There might have been an error in how they calculated the combined benefitsAbsolutely file an appeal within the 60-day window! This preserves your rights even while you're gathering information. The appeal form is SSA-561-U2.When you appeal, request a detailed explanation of how both calculations were made (original and revised). Ask specifically about any GPO/WEP adjustments and whether they're applying the \

Thank you for the form number! I'll definitely appeal right away while I continue investigating. The \

i had something similar happen with my disability benefits and it turned out they just made a mistake on their end. they kept telling me different things every time i called. KEEP APPEALING!!! dont let them push you around. they told me i was getting overpaid then they said i wasnt then they said i was again. its all a mess over there.

THIS! The SSA is a NIGHTMARE to deal with when they make mistakes! I spent 9 months fighting a similar issue with my husband's benefits. They reduced his payment saying it was

This situation likely involves the Government Pension Offset (GPO) which reduces survivor benefits when the survivor receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security. However, what's unusual is the timing - GPO should have been calculated from the beginning.Here's what you need to know:1. If your husband worked for a government entity where he didn't pay Social Security taxes, your survivor benefit can be reduced by two-thirds of your government pension amount.2. The fact that this is happening 18 months later suggests either: - An administrative error in the original calculation - A delayed discovery of the pension information - A change in how they're applying the offset3. For your appeal, gather: - All SSA benefit statements (original and current) - Details of your husband's pension (especially whether it was from employment where SS taxes were withheld) - Your original benefit application - Any communication about the calculation of your benefitsYou should request a detailed breakdown of both calculations (original and revised) during your appeal. Also ask specifically if this is related to the Government Pension Offset and why it wasn't applied initially.

Thank you for this detailed explanation. The pension is from the town where my husband worked for 28 years, and he did NOT pay into Social Security during that time. But they knew this from the start - it was all documented in our initial applications. I'll get all the paperwork together for the appeal. Do you think I should also get a statement from his former employer confirming the pension details?

My sister went through something very similar when her husband died. The SSA kept changing their minds about her benefit amount! She finally got it resolved by going to her congressman's office and having them inquire on her behalf. Something to consider if your appeal doesn't work.

That's a great suggestion I hadn't thought of! I'll try the regular appeal process first, but it's good to know there are other options if that doesn't work. Did your sister end up getting her full benefit amount restored?

To answer your follow-up question about the \

This is incredibly helpful! My husband did work in the private sector for about 12 years before his government job, so he did have some Social Security covered employment, but not 30 years. I'll definitely follow your advice on the documentation to request and gather. I really appreciate the detailed guidance!

good luck with your appeal!! let us know how it goes im curious since mine got reduced too and i just accepted it cause i didnt know we could appeal

Thank you! I will definitely update when I know more. You might want to check if you're still within your 60-day window to appeal too!