SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION BALTIMORE, MD 21235-0001 

SOCIAL SECURITY 

Office of the Chief Actuary 

September 19, 2018 

The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr. 

United States Senate 

Washington, D.C. 20510 

Dear Senator Casey: 

This letter is in response to your request for our estimates of the financial effects on the Social 

Security (OASDI) program assuming enactment of S. 3457, the “Surviving Widow(er) Income 

Fair Treatment Act of 2018” or the “SWIFT Act”, which you introduced yesterday. We have 

enjoyed working with Keith Miller of your staff in the development of this Bill. These estimates 

provided here reflect the combined effort of many in the Office of the Chief Actuary, but most 

particularly Karen Glenn, Chris Chaplain, Kyle Burkhalter, Daniel Nickerson, and Anna 

Kirjusina. 

This Bill contains several provisions which would directly affect benefits paid under the OASDI 

program beginning in 2020. Section 2 of the Bill would increase the availability and level of 

benefits for disabled widows, disabled widowers, and surviving divorced spouses with 

disabilities. Section 3 of the Bill would expand the availability of spouse and surviving spouse 

benefits based on having a child beneficiary in care. Section 4 of the Bill would modify the level 

of benefits available for widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses, providing increased 

monthly benefits for those deferring or temporarily suspending receipt after becoming initially 

eligible for the benefit. 

We estimate that enactment of this Bill would result in a net increase in OASDI benefit cost 

starting in 2020, reducing (worsening) the long-range OASDI actuarial balance by 0.05 percent 

of taxable payroll, from a deficit of 2.84 percent of payroll under current law to a deficit of 2.89 

percent of payroll with enactment of the Bill. The estimated year of combined OASI and DI 

Trust Fund reserve depletion would remain at 2034. The enclosed Table 1 provides estimates of 

the annual effects on OASDI cost and income as a percent of present-law taxable payroll, and the 

level of combined trust fund reserves assuming enactment of the Bill under the intermediate 

assumptions of the 2018 OASDI Trustees Report. The balance of this letter provides a detailed 

description of our understanding of the intent of each section of the Bill affecting the OASDI 

program, our estimates of the effects of each section on the financial status of the OASDI 

program, and our estimates of the numbers of individuals who would be directly affected by each 

section in 2018 if the provisions had always been in effect. 
Page 2 – The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr. 

Section 2 of the Bill would increase the availability and level of benefits for disabled widows, 

disabled widowers, and surviving divorced spouses with disabilities. This section of the Bill 

would: (1) eliminate the requirement that disabled widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses 

with disabilities must reach age 50 before being able to claim survivor benefits on the earnings 

record of a deceased spouse; (2) eliminate the requirement that disabled widow(er)s and 

surviving divorced spouses with disabilities must acquire their disability within seven years of 

their spouse’s death1; and (3) increase the level of the monthly benefit provided for disabled 

widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses with disabilities from as little as 71.5 percent (for 

those becoming entitled at age 60 or under) to 100 percent of the primary insurance amount 

(PIA) of the deceased spouse (for those becoming entitled at any age), plus any delayed 

retirement credit (DRC) that may have been earned by the deceased spouse. This change would 

apply for benefits payable to all disability widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses with 

disabilities on or after January 1, 2020, including all widow(er) beneficiaries over their normal 

retirement age (NRA) if they had been in receipt of a widow(er) benefit based on disability 

immediately prior to attaining their NRA. We estimate that these three provisions in Section 2 

would decrease (worsen) the long-range OASDI actuarial balance by 0.02 percent of taxable 

payroll. As an illustration of the ultimate effect of this section, we estimate that about 640,000 

widow(er)s would have increased benefit levels, or would be additionally receiving benefits in 

2018 if these three provisions had always been in effect. 

Section 3 of the Bill would expand the availability of spouse and surviving spouse benefits based 

on having a child beneficiary in care. Under current law, a spouse or surviving spouse is eligible 

to receive child-in-care benefits only if they have a child beneficiary in their care who is under 

age 16 (or is at least age 18 and became disabled before age 22). Under this section, eligibility 

for spouse and surviving spouse benefits based on child in care would be expanded to include 

those caring for a qualifying child under age 18, or under age 19 if the child is still enrolled in 

primary or secondary school on a full-time basis. This expanded benefit eligibility would apply 

for benefits payable on or after January 1, 2020. We estimate that Section 3 would decrease 

(worsen) the long-range OASDI actuarial balance by 0.01 percent of taxable payroll. As an 

illustration of the ultimate effect of this section, we estimate that about 50,000 additional spouses 

and surviving spouses would be receiving benefits in 2018 if this provision had always been in 

effect. 

Section 4 of the Bill would modify the level of benefits available for widow(er)s and surviving 

divorced spouses, providing increased monthly benefits for those deferring or temporarily 

suspending receipt after becoming initially eligible for the benefit. Whenever the benefit level 

that would be provided under current law is less than 100 percent of the deceased spouse’s PIA, 

the monthly benefit increase for delayed claiming or suspension would be calculated based on 

the reduction schedule for widow(er) benefits between age 60 and the surviving spouse’s NRA 

(for example, the benefit would be increased at the rate of about 4.1 percentage points of PIA per 

year of deferral or suspension if the surviving spouse’s NRA is 67, and about 4.7 percentage 

points if the surviving spouse’s NRA is 66), up to the point where the widow(er) benefit reaches 

100 percent of the deceased worker’s PIA. Any delay in claiming or suspension for a widow(er) 

with a benefit at or above 100 percent of the deceased worker’s PIA would earn a benefit 

 

1

 Additional conditions may affect the seven-year period. These can be found at 

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0411005050. 
Page 3 – The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr. 

increase at the retired-worker delayed retirement credit rate (8 percent of PIA per year for 

workers born in 1943 and later). The maximum benefit possible for the widow(er) under this 

provision would be the benefit the deceased worker could have received if he or she retired with 

maximum DRCs, e.g., 124 percent of PIA for deceased workers with an NRA of 67 or 132 

percent of PIA for deceased workers with an NRA of 66. 

Widow(er)s may only earn increased benefit levels under this provision by delaying or 

suspended their benefits after the effective date of this Bill, January 1, 2020. We estimate that 

Section 4 would decrease (worsen) the long-range OASDI actuarial balance by 0.02 percent of 

taxable payroll. As an illustration of the ultimate effect of this section, we estimate that about 

400,000 widow(er) beneficiaries would be receiving higher monthly benefits in 2018 if this 

provision had always been in effect. 

Note that the maximum family benefit payable on the account of a worker would not be affected 

by the provisions of Sections 2, 3, and 4. 

In addition, Section 5 of this Bill would establish that individuals currently receiving federal 

means-tested public benefits would not face any loss in benefit eligibility or benefit amounts due 

to any increase in their OASDI benefits as a result of the enactment of this legislation. Section 6 

would require the Social Security Administration to publish a booklet containing information on 

survivor benefits and the intricacies of claiming decisions and to proactively send this booklet to 

widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses when the Social Security Administration 

becomes aware of the death of their spouse. We do not expect Sections 5 and 6 to affect the longrange OASDI actuarial balance. 

We hope these estimates are helpful. Please let us know if we may provide further assistance. 

Sincerely, 

 Stephen C. Goss, ASA, MAAA 

 Chief Actuary 

Enclosure 
Year Cost Rate

Income

Rate

Annual

Balance Cost Rate

Income

Rate

Annual

Balance

2018 13.81 12.64 -1.17 288 0.00 0.00 0.00

2019 13.95 12.87 -1.08 272 0.00 0.00 0.00

2020 14.16 12.89 -1.27 255 0.04 0.00 -0.04

2021 14.31 12.92 -1.39 239 0.03 0.00 -0.03

2022 14.47 12.95 -1.52 222 0.03 0.00 -0.03

2023 14.65 12.97 -1.69 204 0.03 0.00 -0.03

2024 14.84 13.00 -1.84 187 0.03 0.00 -0.03

2025 15.02 13.01 -2.01 170 0.03 0.00 -0.03

2026 15.19 13.14 -2.06 152 0.04 0.00 -0.03

2027 15.40 13.16 -2.25 136 0.04 0.00 -0.04

2028 15.62 13.17 -2.45 119 0.04 0.00 -0.04

2029 15.83 13.19 -2.64 102 0.04 0.00 -0.04

2030 16.03 13.20 -2.82 84 0.04 0.00 -0.04

2031 16.20 13.22 -2.99 67 0.04 0.00 -0.04

2032 16.36 13.23 -3.13 49 0.05 0.00 -0.04

2033 16.50 13.24 -3.26 30 0.05 0.00 -0.04

2034 16.61 13.25 -3.36 11 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2035 16.70 13.26 -3.44 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2036 16.77 13.26 -3.51 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2037 16.84 13.27 -3.57 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2038 16.87 13.27 -3.60 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2039 16.89 13.28 -3.61 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2040 16.88 13.28 -3.61 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2041 16.86 13.28 -3.59 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2042 16.83 13.28 -3.56 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2043 16.79 13.27 -3.52 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2044 16.75 13.27 -3.48 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2045 16.72 13.27 -3.44 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2046 16.68 13.27 -3.41 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2047 16.66 13.27 -3.39 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2048 16.63 13.27 -3.36 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2049 16.61 13.27 -3.34 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2050 16.60 13.27 -3.33 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2051 16.59 13.27 -3.32 ---- 0.06 0.00 -0.05

2052 16.59 13.27 -3.32 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2053 16.60 13.27 -3.32 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2054 16.61 13.28 -3.34 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2055 16.64 13.28 -3.36 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2056 16.68 13.28 -3.40 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2057 16.72 13.29 -3.43 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2058 16.77 13.29 -3.47 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2059 16.81 13.29 -3.52 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2060 16.86 13.30 -3.56 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2061 16.91 13.30 -3.61 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2062 16.96 13.31 -3.66 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2063 17.01 13.31 -3.70 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2064 17.07 13.31 -3.75 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2065 17.12 13.32 -3.80 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2066 17.18 13.32 -3.86 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2067 17.24 13.33 -3.91 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2068 17.29 13.33 -3.96 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2069 17.36 13.33 -4.02 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2070 17.42 13.34 -4.08 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2071 17.47 13.34 -4.13 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2072 17.52 13.35 -4.17 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2073 17.57 13.35 -4.22 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2074 17.61 13.35 -4.25 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2075 17.64 13.36 -4.28 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2076 17.66 13.36 -4.31 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2077 17.68 13.36 -4.32 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2078 17.68 13.36 -4.32 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2079 17.67 13.36 -4.31 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2080 17.66 13.36 -4.30 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2081 17.64 13.36 -4.28 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2082 17.62 13.36 -4.27 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2083 17.61 13.36 -4.25 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2084 17.59 13.35 -4.24 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2085 17.58 13.35 -4.23 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2086 17.58 13.35 -4.23 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2087 17.58 13.35 -4.23 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2088 17.60 13.35 -4.24 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2089 17.62 13.36 -4.26 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2090 17.65 13.36 -4.29 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2091 17.69 13.36 -4.32 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2092 17.73 13.36 -4.36 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

2093 17.77 13.37 -4.41 ---- 0.05 0.00 -0.05

Cost Rate Income Rate

Actuarial 

Balance

Change in 

Cost rate

Change in 

Income Rate

Change in 

Actuarial

Balance

16.73% 13.85% -2.89% 2034 0.05% 0.00% -0.05%

Office of the Chief Actuary

Based on Intermediate Assumptions of the 2018 Trustees Report. Social Security Administration

1 Under present law the year of combined Trust Fund reserve depletion is 2034.

Summarized Rates: OASDI

Year of reserve 

depletion1

Summarized Rates: OASDI

2018 - 2092

September 19, 2018

Expressed as a percentage of present-law

taxable payroll Trust Fund

Ratio

1-1-year

Expressed as a percentage of present-law

taxable payroll

Table 1 - OASDI Cost Rate, Income Rate, Annual Balance, and Trust Fund Ratio

S.3457, the "Surviving Widow(er) Income Fair Treatment Act of 2018" or the "SWIFT Act"

Proposal Change from Present Law