Will new WEP/GPO reform let my CSRS husband get survivor benefits from me or his ex?

This is a great question with several moving parts. Under current GPO rules, your husband's CSRS pension would reduce any potential Social Security survivor benefits by 2/3 of his pension amount (often eliminating it completely). The proposed legislation would indeed modify this, potentially allowing him to receive more of your survivor benefits if you predecease him. Regarding his ex-wife: Yes, if she predeceases you, he could potentially claim ex-spouse survivor benefits based on her record since they were married 10+ years and he remarried after 60. However, these benefits would also currently be subject to GPO reduction. The new legislation would phase out these reductions over time rather than eliminate them immediately. I'd recommend consulting with a financial advisor who specializes in federal benefits once the legislation is actually signed, as the implementation timeline will affect your specific situation.

my neighbor went thru something similar last year with WEP issues. the SSA office kept giving him wrong info everytime he called!!! took him 4 months to get it straightened out.

I've been following the WEP/GPO reform closely since my husband is also under CSRS. The current version should phase out the GPO over several years, but DON'T COUNT ON IT YET! Congress has been trying to fix this for decades with no success. And from personal experience trying to reach SSA about complex situations like this is IMPOSSIBLE. Hours on hold only to be disconnected or talk to someone who gives you completely wrong information. I've been trying for WEEKS to get a straight answer about my own situation.

Just to clarify a few technical points: 1. If the legislation passes as currently written, the GPO reduction would be phased out over time - not immediately eliminated. This means your husband would gradually become eligible for more of your survivor benefits each year of the phase-out period. 2. Regarding his ex-spouse benefits: The timing matters significantly. If his ex-wife predeceases you AND if the legislation is signed, he could eventually receive full ex-spouse survivor benefits (assuming those would be higher than his survivor benefits from your record). 3. Important note: He can only receive one benefit - whichever is higher (your survivor benefit or his ex-wife's survivor benefit), not both simultaneously. 4. The CSRS pension itself doesn't change - he'll continue receiving that regardless. I recommend documenting both your earnings histories and potential benefit amounts now, so you're prepared to make decisions once the legislation details and implementation timeline are finalized.

My sister-in-law just went through this exact situation last year. Her husband was CSRS and they told her he wouldn't get ANY of her SS after she retired. It's so unfair - he paid in for years before going federal! The whole system is rigged against government workers. I hope they finally fix this broken system.

To address your latest question - yes, that's correct. Your husband would continue to receive his full CSRS pension. The GPO only affects how much Social Security he can receive based on YOUR record (or his ex-wife's). Currently, the GPO reduces his potential Social Security survivor benefits by 2/3 of his CSRS pension amount. If his pension is $4,100/month, that's a reduction of about $2,733. If your survivor benefit would be less than that reduction amount, he'd currently receive nothing from Social Security despite your 30+ years of contributions. With the proposed phase-out, that reduction would gradually decrease until eventually he could receive the full survivor benefit he's eligible for (while still keeping his entire CSRS pension). But please note: The final legislation details matter enormously here, particularly the phase-out timeline.

When you do get the final details on the legislation, make sure to get everything in writing from SSA about your specific situation. I've dealt with them for years and have learned the hard way that verbal information isn't reliable. Different agents give different answers. Keep notes with dates, names, and specifics of every conversation. It's saved me multiple times when they tried to backtrack on previous information.

Wait I'm confused - I thought the new WEP/GPO bill didn't pass?? Did I miss something? Last I heard they were still debating it??

Thank you all for the helpful information! This community has explained things better than hours of reading confusing government websites. I'm cautiously optimistic about the legislation but will wait to see the final details before getting too excited. I'll gather our records as suggested and be prepared to speak with SSA once the changes are official. And I'll definitely check out Claimyr when it's time to call - sounds much better than spending days on hold!