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 2023 and those becoming eligible after 2022.

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

Year Current Law Provision
2021253253
2022231231
2023214212
2024196194
2025178175
2026159156
2027141137
2028122118
202910499
20308580
20316660
20324641
20332721
203471
2035-13-20
2036-33-41
2037-54-63
2038-76-85
2039-97-107
2040-119-130
2041-142-152
2042-165-176
2043-188-200
2044-211-224
2045-235-248
2046-258-272
2047-282-296
2048-306-321
2049-330-345
2050-354-370
2051-378-395
2052-403-420
2053-427-446
2054-452-471
2055-477-496
2056-502-522
2057-527-548
2058-552-573
2059-578-600
2060-604-626
2061-630-653
2062-657-680
2063-684-708
2064-712-736
2065-740-765
2066-768-794
2067-796-823
2068-825-852
2069-855-882
2070-884-912
2071-914-943
2072-945-974
2073-976-1005
2074-1007-1037
2075-1039-1070
2076-1071-1103
2077-1105-1137
2078-1139-1172
2079-1175-1209
2080-1211-1246
2081-1248-1283
2082-1286-1322
2083-1324-1361
2084-1363-1401
2085-1403-1441
2086-1443-1482
2087-1483-1523
2088-1524-1565
2089-1564-1606
2090-1604-1647
2091-1643-1687
2092-1681-1725
2093-1718-1763
2094-1754-1800
2095-1789-1836
2096-1825-1872
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