Benefits Denied: The Push for Marriage Equality

[marmar]

from the Center for American Progress:



Benefits Denied
By Ben Furnas, Josh Rosenthal | March 3, 2009


In the United States today, tens of thousands of same-sex couples who are legally married in their state of residence are denied spousal Social Security benefits because the federal government does not acknowledge their marriage. Today, 15 Massachusetts residents represented by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders filed suit against the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration and other federal agencies, challenging the constitutionality of the federal government's decision not to recognize their marriages.

After paying a lifetime of payroll taxes into a system that is supposed to provide retirement benefits for married couples, same-sex couples who marry are denied thousands of dollars in retirement benefits, survivor benefits, and lump-sum death benefits, simply because they are married to a person of the same sex.

This paper illustrates the cost of denied benefits to three typical couples, as well as one hypothetical couple with average characteristics of same-sex couples in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and California, where same-sex marriages are officially acknowledged under state law.

We find that a same-sex couple with average characteristics—including average age, average income, and average gap in income between spouses—will be denied more than $8,000 a year in Social Security survivor benefits upon the death of the higher-earning spouse after retirement. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/03/benefits_denied.html

[tavalon]

1. I didn't realize that was their hook for taking DOMA to court

That is perfect and with the atmosphere the way it is right now, that stupid ass law may soon lay in the garbage heap it should never have gotten out of.