Latest News
Social Security and Insolvency
It is no secret that Social Security is facing a relatively short term problem in funding. The trust fund is on track to run dry by 2030. There are many proposals going around to curb this problem and push it down the road to worry about later. It is a little unrealistic to expect the problem to be completely solved by the first deadline, but the hope is that buying more time will give us time to come up with a proper solution that everyone can agree on. The current trust fund system for Social Security was put in place in the 80s but it cannot keep up with the strain of the retiring Baby Boomers. For more information visit this article by Dan Caplinger with The Motley Fool.
I was in a long-term relationship for more than twenty years with my partner who died in 1992. In 1991 we became domestic partners at San Francisco City Hall, and this domestic partnership was in place for over a full year.
He made considerably more money than I did and his benefits would have been much greater than what I’m collecting.
Can I apply for and now get larger benefits based on his income?
Kurt:
Thank you for the question. Based on information contained in the “2016 Social Security & Medicare Facts” publication by The National Underwriter Company (ISBN 978-1-941627-72-3), the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court Obergefell v. Hodges decision does recognize same-sex couples as being married for the purposes of determining their entitlement to Social Security benefits. Under the new law, this eligibility would apply to non-marital legal relationships of the type you described; however, the 2015 ruling is not retroactive. Since the date of your domestic partnership predates the 2015 ruling, you would not be eligible to apply for recalculated benefits.
Gerry Hafer
AMAC Foundation