Q. My mom has been receiving survivor benefits from my stepdad’s CSRS annuity for about seven years. She has been caring for my grandma but has recently become disabled. She will be 60 in November. She paid into Social Security herself for around 20 years while she was working. Can she receive full disability in addition to her CSRS of approximately $1,500?
A. To find out if your mother would be eligible for a Social Security disability benefit, go to www.ssa.gov/disability. If she is, the fact that she is now receiving a CSRS survivor annuity would have no effect on it. She could receive both.