Q. My husband (65) is retired after over 30 years with the Postal Service. He recently went to apply for Social Security benefits and was denied because he was told that he was minus a few quarters and would have to go back to work to earn those quarters because he worked under civil service all those years. Is this true? Will he have to find a job at his age?
A. Yes, if he wants a Social Security benefit. However, he needs to understand that if he does become eligible for that benefit, it will be affected by the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who receives an annuity from a retirement system, like CSRS, where he didn’t pay Social Security taxes.
