re: Social Security: We are run by imbeciles. Thieving imbeciles.

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All we've done is PAY. For decades.

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You come off as irrational.

People get a low cost health insurance plan through ACA.
Then they complain about the coverages that they didn't buy with the low cost insurance plan.

People pay into social security (which does a good job not pulling the rug out on people just before they retire when the program is forced to make changes), and you seem dissatisfied with your benefits.

^^^^^^


This

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I'd suggest:

Contact SSA directly and ask them to explain in writing exactly how her benefit is calculated

Ask specifically whether she is receiving her own benefit, a survivor benefit, or a combination

However, if she claimed early, there may be limited options, but it's worth understanding exactly what happened

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Thanks for the advice and concern. My dad passed many years ago, and we did this when we saw my mom's benefits drop off. I was young and don't recall all the details, but those involved were satisfied with the response they got.

I'm pretty confident if all waste, fraud, abuse and outright theft were eliminated from federal spending the US would have at a minimum a $500 billion annual surplus.

Yup

Furthermore, I am 53 and I am not receiving benefits from the program. All I do is PAY the maximum into the program every year for the last 20+ years.

I notice the pay increase every year usually around mid October.

But I'm the bad guy for wanting something back. GTFO.

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Yup

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I'll wear my badge of irrationality proudly

Seems to me you're either young and haven't put much into the system at all, or you're wealthy enough to offset other taxes enough that the SS tax doesn't matter to you. I honestly hope it's the latter.

But you can still frick right off for giving me shite for being pissed if the program were dissolved and millions who paid in got nothing at all for it.

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She lost her benefit. Not his.

It is part of "the widows tax" where the 2 social security payments drops down to 1. But she still has the same housing payment. Same gas bill. Same water bill. Same electric bill, etc..
And she jumps into a worse income tax situation (married jointly down to single).

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That sounds right, and my point still stands. She worked her whole life, too, and was therefore robbed by our shitbird govt's Ponzi scheme.

Man, it's kind of amazing that they get away with robbing so many thousands of people every year. And we just accept it and keep voting in the same lying POS politicians.

ETA: Thanks for contributing your point.

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That sounds right, and my point still stands. She worked her whole life, too, and was therefore robbed by our shitbird govt's Ponzi scheme.

Man, it's kind of amazing that they get away with robbing so many thousands of people every year. And we just accept it and keep voting in the same lying POS politicians.

ETA: Thanks for contributing your point.

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So she should get 2 social security payments after her husband dies?

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I'm not going to share more details here, and it has been several years since my dad passed. But at the time, we saw the dropoff in benefits my mom was receiving and checked into it. We were told the benefit was reduced in accordance with the program rules. I was young but over 18, and I don't recall the specific rationale or formula cited.

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I suspect what you are describing is real. If your mother was old enough, she would have been getting half of your father's benefit. When he died, she no longer got that but she did get what he got, so essentially, the household income was reduced by 1/3rd. SS paid your father X while he was alive, and paid your mother 1/2X, so together they got 1.5X. After your father passed, your mother only got X.

My mother faced the same thing. What was sufficient when they were both alive became marginal after my father departed this world, and now with hurricane insurance going up at least $1000 each year, it really isn't enough.

Kudos though to your father for working until he was 70. He left your mother 30% better off than she would have been. My mother will be 94 this year, I am dealing with these issues every day. I will be 61 this year. I want to put off SS until 67, but I may get tired of it all and just start taking it when I am 62. I want to be able to live on SS, but have good assets in my IRA's. I'm on track, and as long as I don't hook up with that Moldavian chick and go on another reckless party binge again....