Proposed Provision: 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 2016 and those becoming eligible after 2016.

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

Year Present Law Provision
2014320320
2015306306
2016292290
2017277274
2018262259
2019248244
2020233229
2021219214
2022203198
2023187182
2024171165
2025154147
2026137130
2027119112
202810193
20298374
20306454
20314434
20322312
20332-10
2034-20-32
2035-42-55
2036-65-78
2037-88-102
2038-112-126
2039-136-151
2040-160-176
2041-185-202
2042-210-227
2043-235-253
2044-260-279
2045-285-304
2046-310-331
2047-336-357
2048-362-384
2049-388-411
2050-415-439
2051-442-466
2052-468-494
2053-495-522
2054-523-550
2055-550-578
2056-578-607
2057-606-636
2058-635-665
2059-664-696
2060-694-726
2061-725-758
2062-756-789
2063-787-822
2064-819-855
2065-852-888
2066-885-922
2067-918-956
2068-952-991
2069-987-1026
2070-1022-1062
2071-1057-1099
2072-1094-1137
2073-1132-1175
2074-1171-1215
2075-1210-1256
2076-1251-1297
2077-1293-1340
2078-1335-1383
2079-1378-1427
2080-1421-1471
2081-1464-1516
2082-1507-1560
2083-1550-1604
2084-1593-1648
2085-1636-1692
2086-1680-1737
2087-1724-1782
2088-1769-1828
2089-1814-1874
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