To: The United States House of Representatives
Remove Social Security earnings limits on widows/widowers and orphans
Most people know Social Security makes payments to retirees. But it also makes payments to families with children under the age of 18 if one of the parents of the children passes away, regardless of whether that parent is of full retirement age or not. But Social Security also imposes what is called an "earnings limit" on all recipients under full retirement age (69.5 years) because they assume Social Security benefits replace your working income, and so if you have working income, Social Security isn't needed.
Current law imposes that same earnings limit on widows and orphans, even though the benefit is supposed to replace the deceased family member's income, not their own! The financial demands on young families are so much greater than that of retirees so the government is basically forcing these families into economic hardship.
There is already a bill before the House Ways and Means committee called HR 3077; “Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act of 2017”. This bill proposes to remove the earnings limit imposed on retirees eligible for Social Security but younger than the full retirement age of 69 ½ years of age.
My petition is to include surviving spouses and their dependent children who receive Social Security Survivor Benefits in HR 3077.
Current law imposes that same earnings limit on widows and orphans, even though the benefit is supposed to replace the deceased family member's income, not their own! The financial demands on young families are so much greater than that of retirees so the government is basically forcing these families into economic hardship.
There is already a bill before the House Ways and Means committee called HR 3077; “Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act of 2017”. This bill proposes to remove the earnings limit imposed on retirees eligible for Social Security but younger than the full retirement age of 69 ½ years of age.
My petition is to include surviving spouses and their dependent children who receive Social Security Survivor Benefits in HR 3077.
Why is this important?
I am starting this petition, because in 2017, after my then 12-year-old son (whose father passed away in 2010) spent 14 months in a Broadway show (which he of his own initiative auditioned for and got the role), I was told by Social Security that I would have to repay every dime I received to support him from his father’s death benefit, for both 2016 and 2017. (Also, in compliance with the law, he paid taxes on this death benefit and yet the IRS is not required to pay back those taxes even though we have to repay the money the taxes were taken from.)
The earnings limit is particularly hard on people in the entertainment industry and other temporary jobs, because benefits can be removed for extended periods even though the working income received is short term. Also, the earnings limit is a violation of a child's civil rights because it is the only situation I could find where it was legal to force a minor child to essentially support themselves - that is Social Security considers their earnings as a replacement for their deceased parent's earnings.
I thank you for considering this petition. Current earnings limits laws put even further hardships on already struggling families who have lost not only a loved one but their vital source of income. Social Security was designed to protect these families. Please sign so Social Security lives up to this promise and so future families in this situation do not have to suffer this hardship.
The earnings limit is particularly hard on people in the entertainment industry and other temporary jobs, because benefits can be removed for extended periods even though the working income received is short term. Also, the earnings limit is a violation of a child's civil rights because it is the only situation I could find where it was legal to force a minor child to essentially support themselves - that is Social Security considers their earnings as a replacement for their deceased parent's earnings.
I thank you for considering this petition. Current earnings limits laws put even further hardships on already struggling families who have lost not only a loved one but their vital source of income. Social Security was designed to protect these families. Please sign so Social Security lives up to this promise and so future families in this situation do not have to suffer this hardship.