Proposed Provision: D4. Establish an alternative benefit for a surviving spouse. For the surviving spouse, the alternative benefit would equal 75 percent of the sum of the survivor's own worker benefit and the deceased worker's PIA (including any actuarial reductions or delayed retirement credits). If the deceased worker died before becoming entitled, use the age 62 actuarial reduction if deceased before age 62, or the applicable actuarial reduction/DRC for entitlement at the age of death if deceased after 62. The alternative benefit would not exceed the PIA of a hypothetical earner who earns the SSA average wage index (AWI) every year, and who becomes eligible for retired-worker benefits in the same year in which the deceased worker became entitled to worker benefits or died (if before entitlement). The alternative benefit would be paid only if more than the current-law benefit. This benefit would be available to surviving spouses on the rolls at the beginning of 2025 and those becoming eligible after 2024.

OASDI Trust Fund Ratio
(assets as a percentage of annual expenditures)

Year Current Law Provision
2023204204
2024187187
2025168167
2026149148
2027131129
2028114111
20299693
20307875
20316057
20324338
20332520
203471
2035-12-18
2036-31-37
2037-51-57
2038-70-78
2039-91-99
2040-112-120
2041-133-142
2042-154-164
2043-176-186
2044-198-209
2045-220-232
2046-243-255
2047-265-278
2048-288-301
2049-311-324
2050-333-348
2051-357-371
2052-380-395
2053-403-419
2054-427-443
2055-450-467
2056-474-491
2057-498-516
2058-522-540
2059-547-566
2060-572-591
2061-597-617
2062-623-644
2063-650-671
2064-677-699
2065-705-727
2066-733-756
2067-762-785
2068-791-815
2069-820-845
2070-850-875
2071-880-906
2072-911-937
2073-942-969
2074-974-1001
2075-1006-1034
2076-1039-1068
2077-1074-1102
2078-1108-1138
2079-1144-1174
2080-1181-1212
2081-1218-1250
2082-1256-1288
2083-1294-1327
2084-1333-1367
2085-1373-1407
2086-1413-1448
2087-1453-1489
2088-1494-1530
2089-1534-1571
2090-1574-1612
2091-1613-1652
2092-1651-1691
2093-1689-1730
2094-1726-1768
2095-1762-1805
2096-1798-1841
2097-1833-1877
2098-1868-1913
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