Full question: Can I receive survivor benefits since my wife died June 27, now they’re telling me we will no longer receive her benefits, only a $250 burial fee

Hello,

There are two reasons that you may not be entitled to a survivor benefit based on your wife’s earnings.

First, if your own retirement benefit is greater than what she was collecting, you can only collect the higher of the two amounts, which is your own.

Second, if you are collecting a pension, you may be affected by the Government Pension Offset, GPO, rule. In this case, two-thirds of your pension amount would be subtracted from a survivor benefit, which can often reduce the amount to $0.

For personalized support, work with an RSSA here.

Take care,
Martha

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