SS for a widow

[Anonymous]

He collected SS. She had a teaching pension and a very small SS payment (did not even cover Medicare). He died. She received a series of very confusing letters from SS. She took them to a local SS office. They told her she should expect to get two checks every month to collect off both accounts.

This is not our understanding of how SS works. Shouldn't she only collect the higher of the two (adjusting for her pension)?

[Anonymous]

My great-Aunt gets two checks - one for her late husband and one for her.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that she would receive the higher of the 2. Has she received any of the 2nd checks yet? Perhaps the 2nd check will bring her total amount up to her husband’s amount.

[Anonymous]

My great-Aunt gets two checks - one for her late husband and one for her.

this can not be accurate

[Anonymous]

I believe her pension plus SS was higher. She never receives a SS check because it all goes to Medicare. She stopped receiving her husband's check at the time of his death. No idea why this is all happening now almost a year later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He collected SS. She had a teaching pension and a very small SS payment (did not even cover Medicare). He died. She received a series of very confusing letters from SS. She took them to a local SS office. They told her she should expect to get two checks every month to collect off both accounts.

This is not our understanding of how SS works. Shouldn't she only collect the higher of the two (adjusting for her pension)?

That is my understanding as well... and there's no adjusting for the pension. Pension has nothing to do with Social Security.

However, while her husband was alive, she should have qualified for a SS amount that was 1/2 of his amount. You say her SS payment was very small? She should have applied for half of his...

Unless there's some kind of teacher related deal- I know in some states, teachers do not pay into social security, and that may affect whether they can claim their husband's SS? I don't know about that.

[Anonymous]

Here's information about the GPO and you can see if it affects this relative. It only affects teachers in some states:

https://www.socialsecurityintelligence.com/teachers-retirement-and-social-security/#:~:text=If%20you%20meet%20both%20of,(2%2F3)%20of%20your

"What About the Government Pension Offset?
The nitty-gritty of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) is simple. If you meet both of the requirements for the GPO – you are entitled to a Social Security benefit as a survivor or spouse and have a pension from a government job where you did not pay Social Security tax – your Social Security survivor or spousal benefit will be reduced by an amount equal to two-thirds (2/3) of your pension.

As an example, let’s say Michael worked for 30 years as a teacher in California (one of the 15 states where schoolteachers are not covered by Social Security) and his wife was an accountant.

Upon retirement, he began receiving his California teacher’s retirement pension of $3,000 per month. His wife retired at the same time and filed for her Social Security benefits of $2,300 per month. Sadly, she passed away a short three years later.

Upon her death, Michael learned that because of his CalSTRS pension he would not be eligible to receive a normal Social Security survivor’s benefit. Thanks to the GPO his survivor’s benefit was reduced to a measly $300 per month. Here’s the math:"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's information about the GPO and you can see if it affects this relative. It only affects teachers in some states:

https://www.socialsecurityintelligence.com/teachers-retirement-and-social-security/#:~:text=If%20you%20meet%20both%20of,(2%2F3)%20of%20your

"What About the Government Pension Offset?
The nitty-gritty of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) is simple. If you meet both of the requirements for the GPO – you are entitled to a Social Security benefit as a survivor or spouse and have a pension from a government job where you did not pay Social Security tax – your Social Security survivor or spousal benefit will be reduced by an amount equal to two-thirds (2/3) of your pension.

As an example, let’s say Michael worked for 30 years as a teacher in California (one of the 15 states where schoolteachers are not covered by Social Security) and his wife was an accountant.

Upon retirement, he began receiving his California teacher’s retirement pension of $3,000 per month. His wife retired at the same time and filed for her Social Security benefits of $2,300 per month. Sadly, she passed away a short three years later.

Upon her death, Michael learned that because of his CalSTRS pension he would not be eligible to receive a normal Social Security survivor’s benefit. Thanks to the GPO his survivor’s benefit was reduced to a measly $300 per month. Here’s the math:"

Yes OP here...this is basically the situation. We understood that 2/3 of her pension was more than his SS so she just collects her pension and small personal SS. However, SS staff told her to expect two checks every month. Right now we are just going to wait to see if both checks arrive. Previously she received nothing as it all went to Medicare. They already sent a fairly large back payment check.

[Anonymous]

I just can't think of any reason why a person would receive TWO Social Security checks. Will you please update this thread as you learn more?

[Anonymous]

Will report back. I am not ever sure what the next step would be. Go back to SS and talk to a different person?

[Anonymous]

NP. I don't understand the Medicare implication. Was she using her SS to pay for Medicare? If she was old enough to draw SS, wouldn't she also be receiving MC benefits rather than still paying into the system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. I don't understand the Medicare implication. Was she using her SS to pay for Medicare? If she was old enough to draw SS, wouldn't she also be receiving MC benefits rather than still paying into the system?

All medicare is not free at all income levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He collected SS. She had a teaching pension and a very small SS payment (did not even cover Medicare). He died. She received a series of very confusing letters from SS. She took them to a local SS office. They told her she should expect to get two checks every month to collect off both accounts.

This is not our understanding of how SS works. Shouldn't she only collect the higher of the two (adjusting for her pension)?

That is my understanding as well... and there's no adjusting for the pension. Pension has nothing to do with Social Security.

However, while her husband was alive, she should have qualified for a SS amount that was 1/2 of his amount. You say her SS payment was very small? She should have applied for half of his...

Unless there's some kind of teacher related deal- I know in some states, teachers do not pay into social security, and that may affect whether they can claim their husband's SS? I don't know about that.

+1 Even within a state (Georgia, for example), some school systems may not pay into Social Security.

[Anonymous]

She needs to make sure this is right. If she gets too much Social Security she may well have to pay it back which might be a hardship later.

There is a phone number listed here:
https://www.ssa.gov/potentialentitlement/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20using%20our,during%20the%20week%20after%20Tuesday.

She should call it and figure this out. She would not get two checks. She will get the higher of the two checks she could qualify for: that based on her own income or that based on her husband's income. Getting this right is important and, sadly, as someone who went through this process on my mother's behalf, not easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He collected SS. She had a teaching pension and a very small SS payment (did not even cover Medicare). He died. She received a series of very confusing letters from SS. She took them to a local SS office. They told her she should expect to get two checks every month to collect off both accounts.

This is not our understanding of how SS works. Shouldn't she only collect the higher of the two (adjusting for her pension)?

That is my understanding as well... and there's no adjusting for the pension. Pension has nothing to do with Social Security.

However, while her husband was alive, she should have qualified for a SS amount that was 1/2 of his amount. You say her SS payment was very small? She should have applied for half of his...

Unless there's some kind of teacher related deal- I know in some states, teachers do not pay into social security, and that may affect whether they can claim their husband's SS? I don't know about that.

+1 Even within a state (Georgia, for example), some school systems may not pay into Social Security.

how does this work? the teachers are treated as contractors?