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 2022 and those becoming eligible after 2022.

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

Year Current Law Provision
2020261261
2021248248
2022233231
2023217214
2024200197
2025183179
2026165161
2027148143
2028130125
2029112107
20309488
20317670
20325851
20333932
20342013
20351-7
2036-19-27
2037-38-48
2038-59-69
2039-80-90
2040-101-112
2041-122-134
2042-144-156
2043-166-179
2044-188-201
2045-210-224
2046-232-247
2047-255-270
2048-277-293
2049-299-316
2050-322-339
2051-344-362
2052-367-385
2053-389-408
2054-412-432
2055-434-455
2056-457-479
2057-480-502
2058-504-526
2059-527-550
2060-551-574
2061-575-599
2062-599-624
2063-624-650
2064-650-676
2065-676-702
2066-702-729
2067-728-756
2068-755-783
2069-782-811
2070-809-839
2071-837-868
2072-866-897
2073-895-927
2074-925-957
2075-955-988
2076-986-1019
2077-1018-1052
2078-1051-1085
2079-1084-1120
2080-1119-1155
2081-1154-1191
2082-1190-1227
2083-1226-1264
2084-1263-1302
2085-1300-1340
2086-1337-1378
2087-1374-1416
2088-1411-1454
2089-1448-1491
2090-1484-1528
2091-1520-1565
2092-1554-1600
2093-1589-1635
2094-1623-1670
2095-1657-1705
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