Social Security v. DOMA: Survivor Benefits
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I've mentioned in several of my Social Security posts that gays should be (or should have been, now that the reform movement is dead) among the most ardent supporters of voluntary partial privatization given the discriminatory treatment of gays -- even Massachusetts-married gays -- by Social Security under federal DOMA.
Typically my focus has been on spousal benefits, the rule that a spouse -- even one who never worked and never paid a penny in Social Security taxes -- is entitled to a retirement benefit of at least one-half the working spouse's benefits. In other words, a retired married couple can get as much as 50% more benefits for the same lifetime of taxes than an unmarried (or not legally recognized) couple who paid the same lifetime of taxes.
But there's another prong of anti-gay discrimination in Social Security benefits: survivor benefits when a working spouse dies prematurely. With private accounts, the accumulated contributions would simply pass on to the decedent's estate. Under the current system, however, survivor benefits can only go to a spouse or former spouse. Which of course means that, under federal DOMA, gay widows and widowers get exactly zero.
Here are the latest numbers regarding Social Security survivor benefits, courtesy of the Congressional Research Service:
The number of gays who pay for those benefits, however, is far higher than zero, and the number of dollars they pay in Social Security taxes is far higher than zero.
States beginning to recognize gay marriage or civil unions is truly wonderful and will someday be universal, probably within a generation. But in the meantime, gays must not forget how truly harmful, and hurtful, and expensive, federal DOMA is.
Typically my focus has been on spousal benefits, the rule that a spouse -- even one who never worked and never paid a penny in Social Security taxes -- is entitled to a retirement benefit of at least one-half the working spouse's benefits. In other words, a retired married couple can get as much as 50% more benefits for the same lifetime of taxes than an unmarried (or not legally recognized) couple who paid the same lifetime of taxes.
But there's another prong of anti-gay discrimination in Social Security benefits: survivor benefits when a working spouse dies prematurely. With private accounts, the accumulated contributions would simply pass on to the decedent's estate. Under the current system, however, survivor benefits can only go to a spouse or former spouse. Which of course means that, under federal DOMA, gay widows and widowers get exactly zero.
Here are the latest numbers regarding Social Security survivor benefits, courtesy of the Congressional Research Service:
About 69% of all survivor beneficiaries (4.7 million people) received widow's and widower's benefits at the end of 2003. Nearly 200,000 of these beneficiaries were disabled. In December 2004, monthly widow(er)'s benefits averaged $920 for nondisabled beneficiaries, and $583 for disabled beneficiaries.To review: exactly zero of those 4.7 million widows and widowers were in same-sex marriages. Exactly zero dollars from Social Security widow's and widower's benefits went to gay widows and widowers.
The number of gays who pay for those benefits, however, is far higher than zero, and the number of dollars they pay in Social Security taxes is far higher than zero.
States beginning to recognize gay marriage or civil unions is truly wonderful and will someday be universal, probably within a generation. But in the meantime, gays must not forget how truly harmful, and hurtful, and expensive, federal DOMA is.
Related Posts (on one page):
- Social Security v. DOMA: Survivor Benefits
- Gays and Social Security Reform
Posted by KipEsquire on
12 October 2005
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