Social Security survivor benefits with WEP and teacher pension - eligible now?

Unfortunately, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) rule likely still applies to your situation. GPO reduces survivor benefits by two-thirds of your government pension amount. With a $4,200 monthly pension, the offset would be approximately $2,800, which would be subtracted from any survivor benefit you might be entitled to. If your potential survivor benefit is less than this amount, you'd receive nothing. Your age (turning 67) doesn't change how GPO works. The offset applies regardless of your age. The WEP affects your own Social Security benefits based on your own work record, while GPO affects benefits you might receive from your husband's record. However, it might still be worth contacting SSA to verify. Sometimes pension amounts change, or there might be other factors specific to your situation that could affect eligibility.

my mom had the same thing happen!!!! she was a teacher for 35 years and when my dad died she got NOTHING from his ss benefits even though he paid in his whole life. its a total scam if you ask me

I went through EXACTLY this with my late husband's benefits! The GPO (Government Pension Offset) is still very much in effect and turning 67 won't change anything. The rule states that your survivor benefit will be reduced by TWO-THIRDS of your government pension. So if your teacher pension is $4,200/month, they'll deduct $2,800 from whatever survivor benefit you would have received. If your survivor benefit would be less than $2,800, you get NOTHING. It's INFURIATING and unfair to those of us who worked in public service!!! There have been attempts to repeal GPO in Congress (look up "Social Security Fairness Act") but nothing has passed yet.

I've tried calling the SSA about a similar issue for weeks - constant busy signals or disconnections after hours on hold. If you decide to apply again, save yourself the headache and try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me through to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes after I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

Hey there, I think your talking about the Government Pension Offset (GPO) not WEP. WEP affects your own benifits, GPO affects spouse/widow benefits. Either way it's all a mess and unfair to teachers!!! You should double-check with SS office directly but don't get your hopes up 😞

There are a few exceptions to the GPO rule that might be worth looking into: 1. If you paid into Social Security for 30+ years alongside your government job (unlikely for most teachers) 2. If your pension is from government work where you WERE paying Social Security taxes (some states have changed their pension systems) 3. If you were eligible for your government pension before December 1982 and meet certain other requirements It would be worth scheduling an appointment with SSA to review your specific situation and confirm whether the GPO still applies to you. Sometimes individual circumstances can affect eligibility in ways that aren't obvious. Also, check if your potential survivor benefit would exceed the two-thirds offset from your pension. With a $4,200 pension, the offset would be about $2,800, so if your husband's benefit was significantly higher than that, you might still receive a partial payment.

I'm going through something similar right now and it's SO confusing! I've been reading about this for hours and still don't understand why they penalize teachers so much. We already get reduced benefits under WEP for our own work, and then they take away spouse benefits too?? What happens if your pension ever gets reduced? Do they recalculate the GPO? I'm following this thread to learn more.

i thought they were trying to fix this with that fairness act thing? did that ever pass??

You might want to still apply anyway because there's no harm in trying. My aunt was in a similar situation and they initially denied her but then she found out that some of her husband's benefits were based on a different calculation and she ended up getting a small amount monthly. Every case is different!