Q: If I elect a survivor benefit for my husband and I die before he does, will his Social Security/FERS pensions be reduced by either WEP or GPO? I am 62, retiring next month with 42 years of CSRS federal service. By law I must leave my husband a survivor annuity of 55 percent of my base salary for which monthly payments will be taken out of my retirement annuity. He is now 64, retired last year with 10 years of federal service (FERS) and now receives Social Security pension and a FERS annuity.
A: Neither the windfall elimination provision nor the government pension offset apply to FERS retirees. Therefore, receiving the survivor annuity you elected for him would have no affect on either his FERS annuity or his Social Security benefit.
