Q. If I die after retirement and have my annuity reduced to get a full survivor annuity benefit for my wife, I understand my wife would get 55 percent of what my regular retirement annuity would have been. What if I am retired and my annuity is reduced to cover full survivor benefits for my wife (survivor) and she dies before I do? Do I then start to receive my regular retirement benefits without a deduction for full survivor annuity? In other words, once a deduction from retirement pay for survivor annuity starts, can it be reversed and returned to full retirement annuity without a survivor benefit reduction? What federal laws or statutes would apply to your answer and to my question?
A. If your spouse were to die, your annuity would be restored to what it would have been had you not elected a survivor benefit. The adjustment would be effective on the first day of the month following her death. Go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C052.pdf and scroll down to Section 52A2.1-3B (CSRS) or 52B.1-2B (FERS).
