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Show Many Government Retirees Get Double Pension Checks From three-fourths to four-fifths of all those drawing federal (Civil Service) pensions appear to be also qualified for Social Security retirement ben-fits, according to Utah Foundation, the independent, nonprofit research agency. This double-benefit status was not contemplated when either of the government-operated retirement programs was initiated, and is causing serious financial problems for Social Security, the Foundation points out in a research brief released this week. Recent articles in the Social Security Bulletin, a U.S. Government publication, are cited as demonstrating the program overlaps. An article published in August 1981 analyzes the experience of "adult survivor annuitants" widows' and widowers of employees or former employees of the Federal Government and found that "it is reasonable to assume that about four-fifths of the civil service survivor annuitants will be dual beneficiaries at some time." An article published in the Social Security Bulletin in July 1979 examined the status of persons qualifying for Civil Service retirement in their own right, and found that about threq-fourths of them had also qualified for Social Security benefits. This dual participation in the two government retirement programs, commonly referred to as "double dipping" can be accomplished in either of two ways, the Foundation notes. Civil Service workers may retire with reduced benefits after 20 years of service, or after 30 years with full benefits, regardless of age. Many who thus retire have a number of working years left, and use them to take jobs covered by Social Security, drawing their Civil Service retirement benefits while doing so. Other government employees "moonlight" while still on the job, taking evening or week-end employment just long enough to qualify for Social Security's minimum benefits. Because Social Security benefits are heavily weighted toward the lower end of the compensation EMTs place simulated injured employee at SUFCo mine on stretcher in preparation for transfer to surface. Training program keeps rescue crews up to date in all phases of emergency-rescue areas at Salina Canyon. scale, a very small contribution into the Social Security fund can qualify a "double dipper" for retirement benefits entirely out of proportion to the contribution made to the system. Congress recently voted to abolish the $122 monthly mimimum Social Security benefit, which would reduce the attraction of the "moonlighting" approach, but the congressional action may have inflicted an undeserved hardship on persons who have worked a lifetime in low-paying jobs, contributing to Social Security over the entire period. A number of suggestions for curbing the dual-participation abuses have been advanced, but many economists believe that the only effective solution to the problem would be to integrate the Civil Service and Social Security retirement programs, bringing all federal employees under Social Security. Civil Service benefits would be adjusted so that total retirement income would be comparable to that provided by private industry retirement programs when added to Social Security benefits. "In addition to the purely fiscal benefits of such integration, there would appear to be significant psychological gain," the Foundation notes. "The fact that the nation's lawmakers and bureaucrats stand outside the government-operated Social Security retirement system raises questions in the minds of many citizens. Such integration of the two programs would not end all of Social Security's ills, but it would provide sigificant help, and also would permanently end the double-dipping problems and make for a more equitable situation among different classes of U.S. wage earners." |
