Posted on 04/08/2012 7:12:19 PM PDT by TheBattman
Brief Background:
My Step-father was killed in a vehicle accident recently (hit head-on by a drunk driver). He and my mother had been married nearly 26 years. He had started drawing Social Security benefits a few years back (full retirement age), though he was still working.
My mother, who has paid in to Social Security for many years and is a college teacher recently retired (Texas Teacher Retirement)and they moved back up to MIchigan. She is also "retirement age", but is still teaching essentially "full time".
She has been taking care of final stuff - and ran into something she had been warned about - she cannot draw social security because she retired under the Texas system. I'm not sure how many years she taught in texas colleges (two different sets of years she lived and taught in Texas), but she also taught for several years in Michigan, and a few here in Arkansas as well.
Anyway - her understanding is that she gets zero Social Security because she is a Texas Teacher Retirement recipient. She is frustrated with this, but has accepted as "fact".
On the other hand, another question now arises over benefits related to my Step-father. He was never a teacher and not a participant in said system. My mom went to her local SS office and found out she will draw a very tiny piece of my step-father's benefits - I believe around $60 per month...
My question - how does her teacher retirement affect drawing anything from my step-father's Social Security benefits? He paid in for 50+ years...
As another side note - she was asked by the SS rep about her previous marriage (to my father who is still living). She said that when he passes away, though he too remarried, my mom could draw more benefits from my father's social security than her recently deceased husband's social security because they were married over 10 years. The rep said that this would not affect my step-mother's benefits from my Dad's social security when he passes.
This makes no sense to me. I have tried to dig up info about the Texas Teacher Retirement vs. Social Security and have been unable to find a lot of details. I can find nothing at all about her not being able to receive normal benefits from her deceased spouse's benefits. And then - she will be able to draw on my Dad's social security when he passes... even though he has been remarried as well (for about the same length of time as my mother)?
And we wonder why Social Security is unable to pay for itself...
And this while at the same time denying a person to receive at least some Social Security retirement benefit based on what they DID pay (and have a lot more than the required 40 "units" required to be considered eligible).
If your mom worked 40 quarters—ten years—in jobs before the Texas teaching position—she qualifies for SS. The key is the ten years. If she did that, she’s good to go at age 62 or later(reduced benefits before 65).
She also qualifies for widow’s benefits if she is age 60 or more under either husbands’s benefits, whichever is larger.
She needs to talk to SS directly, and if you don’t get anywhere, contact your Congressman’s office.
My mom IS over 62
I’m not sure, but I do believe she has over 10 years of paying into SS outside of Texas teaching positions (not all in the same place). I’m also not sure how much was prior to her teaching in Texas.
She does supposedly qualify for widow’s benefits - but they are offset by her retirement income from Texas (she will be getting like $64 per month from SS as a a survivor’s benefit because of the offset).
If she has the 40 quarters, forget the widow’s benefits(since they are offset) and have her apply for her regular benefit. That is based on earnings and should not be offset.
what a mess.....good luck.....
UT deducts BOTH TRS and Social security from our checks to make us eligible to receive benefits from both. If your mom has paid into both, she will be eligible for both TRS and social security from her own account.
It would be best to contact the Social Security Administration to find out what her benefits will be.
Yes of course you are correct. What I meant was that the amount I am scheduled to get will probably not even buy a stick of chewing gum. Thus it will be as useless as tits on a boar hog. In essence I will be receiving nothing.
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