Q. I receive the benefits of the survivors based on my husband’s work under Social Security. I received pensions from my job as a teacher and didn’t contribute to Fika. I contacted the Social Security Agency (SSA) to determine if I was entitled to greater benefits to abolish the Government Pension Settlement (GPO). Representatives of the SSA said they are not entitled to greater benefits as they benefit from survivors based on work records. Is that correct?
A. No, that’s not correct. Your survivor’s interests are based on records of income your husband receives under Social Security. I’ll contact SSA again. If you receive the same incorrect information from a representative, ask them to speak to the supervisor.
Q. I will receive a pension from my career working under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) with the Federal Government. My husband is dead. He received Social Security benefits based on his work records. When he passed away I asked Social Security if he qualifies for survivor benefits. At the time, I was told that my pension was too high and I was not entitled to the survivors’ benefits. Is I entitled to profit as the previous regulations have been abolished?
A. You should be entitled to survivor benefits now. Previously, if two-thirds of your pension exceeded the survivor’s benefits, you were not entitled to benefits. Under the Social Security Equity Act, you should be entitled to the interests of the survivors now. You need to contact Social Security. There will be a waiting period before Social Security finalizes the new steps.
Q. I usually keep my financial information after reading the Wall Street Journal. I have not read anything about changes to the journal’s social security regulations. Do you know the reason?
A. No, I don’t. In fact, I wrote in the journal asking about the coverage of the Social Security Equality Act and what it means. I have not received a response.
Q. I have read that the windfall exclusion clause and government pension offset are not guaranteed to provide social security benefits to individuals who receive pensions without paying Social Security Tax. do you agree?
A. I think there is a sound argument justifying WEP and GPO regulations. Repealing these provisions provides Social Security benefits to those who receive pensions from non-Social Security jobs without paying FICA taxes. Social Security benefits should not be calculated the same as workers who worked exclusively for Social Security. For more information on why the WEP and GPO regulations were implemented, you can contact the Parliamentary Research Service.
Q. I should receive additional Social Security benefits due to the abolition of WEP and GPOs. When will you start receiving it? Do I need to apply to them?
A. The SSA shows that it is preparing a procedure for new benefits to be paid, but to my knowledge it has not yet published its schedule. Once you have the details, you will pass it in this space. The SSA indicates that an individual does not need to contact the agent to receive a qualified benefit, but if you believe you do not have all the information you need to provide a qualified benefit We recommend contacting the SSA.
Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at rapelliot@gmail.com.
