How will my spousal or widow/er Social Security benefit be affected by my eligibility for TRS benefits?
Texas educators eligible for both a spousal or widow/er Social Security benefit and their own TRS pension benefit are subject to the GPO. The GPO reduces the amount such educators are eligible to receive as a spousal or widow/er Social Security benefit by two-thirds of the amount of their TRS pension benefit. In many cases, this results in a negative amount so these educators do not receive spousal or widow/er benefits. (See PDF chart for illustration.). (See PDF chart for illustration.) Why does the GPO affect Texas educators? Social Security spousal and widow/er benefits were created to provide security for people dependent on their spouses. They provide the spouse who does not work with some Social Security benefits based on the other spouse’s Social Security earnings. However, if both spouses worked and are eligible for their own individual Social Security pensions, one spouse could still file for a spousal or widow/er benefit even though he or she is not dependent on the other spo
