Hello Jerry,

I am asking this for a couple friend of mine.

The husband is 71 years old, retired military, retired government service (FERS), and is receiving social security retirement. His wife is 69 years old, still working as a government service (CSRS).

My two questions: Can the wife file a restricted application for a spousal benefit on her retired husband without any penalties (GPO or WEP)? If the husband dies after the wife retires from CSRS, will she get any survivor benefits from her husband's record?

Thank you so much for your diligent work, I am an avid reader and often inform my friends on what I find out on this site. Keep up the great work!!

Jay

Hi Jay,

Thank you for the compliment!

Yes, it sounds like the wife you're referring to could receive spousal benefits on her husband's record now. In fact, she can claim spousal benefits retroactively for up to 6 months if her husband has been drawing his benefits for at least that long. She wouldn't need to restrict her application to spousal benefits only unless she is also insured for benefits on her own record.

Your friend's spousal benefits won't be subject to GPO (Government Pension Offset) until she starts receiving her civil service pension. When she does start drawing her pension, though, GPO will likely kick in and reduce her Social Security spousal benefits by 2/3rds of the amount of her CSRS pension. This offset would also apply to her potential widow's benefits, which could reduce her Social Security benefit payments to zero depending on the benefit and pension amounts involved (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf).

Best, Jerry