# Understanding the Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act

When someone dies, their surviving spouse can receive Social Security benefits based on the deceased spouse's work record. Right now, if you're a widow or widower who also worked and earned your own Social Security benefits, the system forces you to choose between your own benefit and your spouse's survivor benefit—you can't get both in full. This bill changes that rule specifically for people in two-income households, allowing widows and widowers to receive a better combination of benefits.

Here's how it works in practice: Imagine a woman who worked her entire career and earned a Social Security benefit of $1,500 per month. Her husband also worked and had a Social Security benefit of $2,000 per month. When he passes away, she currently can only receive either her own $1,500 benefit or 75 percent of his benefit (about $1,500), but not a combination that would give her more. Under this bill, she would receive the greater of these two amounts, plus she could potentially receive 75 percent of the sum of both benefits combined, up to a reasonable cap. This means surviving spouses who both worked would get more money in retirement.

The bill also includes a protection for people receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is a needs-based program for very low-income seniors. The law makes sure that if someone's Social Security benefit increases under this new rule, it won't cause them to lose their SSI benefits. The changes would take effect for benefits paid starting in January 2024, affecting widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses who meet the eligibility requirements.

Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act

Sánchez, Linda T.

Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act or the POWR ActThis bill increases Social Security benefits for widows or widowers in two-income households by establishing an alternative method to calculate survivor benefits based on combined household benefit amounts.