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40 Soc. Sec. Bull. 3 (1977)
Federal Civil-Service Annuitants and Social Security, December 1975

handle is hein.journals/ssbul40 and id is 805 raw text is: Federal Civil-Service Annuitants and Social Security, December 1975 This article examines personal and work-related characteristics of a sample of the nearly 1 millon Federal ivil-service retirees who were receiv- ing annuities based on their own wage records as of December 31, 1975. Employment patterns and subsequent annuities in civil-service careers have been related to corresponding experience in jobs covered under the old-age, survivors, disability, and health insurance (OASDHI) program. With some exceptions, the review uncovered patterns generally similar to those found in a study of 1967 annuitants. About 2 out of 5 annuitants were en- titled to OASDHI cash benefits in 1975. Most of these dual beneficiaries received benefit, on the basis of their own OASDHI-covered earnings, but 11 percent were entitled as dependents or survivors of other workers. About two-thirds of the annul- fants not currently receiving benefits had some OASDHI-covered employment during their work careers. In general, those with the shortest civil- service careers and lowest annuities were most likely to be entitled to OASDHI cash benefits. FOR MOST AMERICAN WORKERS the main source of income support during retire- ment is their benefit under the old-age, survivors, disability, and health insurance (OASDHI) pro- gram. The majority of persons not covered under the social security system are employees of Fed- eral, State, or local governments that have their own retirement programs. Most employees of the Federal Government are in this category, as well as up to one-third of all State and local government workers. Most State and local gov- ernment workers covered under plans of their employers are also covered under the OASDHI program. Recently, concern has been expressed about problems arising from a lack of integration be- tween various retirement programs. Some work- ers, for example, may work for a time in OAS)HI-covered work and at another time in noncovered government employment. Eventually, upon reaching retirement age, they may discover Division of Retirement and Survivors Studies, Office of Research and Statistics, Social Security Administra- tion. by DANIEL N. PRICE and ANDREA NOVOTNY* that they are not eligible for a pension under any system. This difficulty could result from having been employed a shorter period than required for pension eligibility under a particular system. In addition, workers who move between covered and noncovered employment under the OASDHI program may lose significant protection for them- selves and their families in the event of dis- ability or death. Another area of concern has been the receipt by the same worker of benefits from both OASDHI and a government retirement program. In particular, as the most recent report of the Advisory Council on Social Security pointed out, some Federal civil-service annuitants also receive OASDHI benefits as dependents of other workers, and others earn just barely enough quarters of coverage to qualify for the minimum OASDHI benefit (a so-called windfall benefit)., This study examines issues presented by the Advisory Council report. Primarily, it consists of an updating of information about Federal annui- tants obtained by the Social Security Administra- tion as of June 1967.' Limited examination is also made here of the benefits available to civil-service annuitants as dependents under the OASDHI program. About 5 percent of all annuitants in 1975 were in this category. The earlier study did not include such annuitants. Comparisons of beneficiary status between the two studies are therefore not as direct as they would have been if this group had been omitted from the current data. THE SAMPLE As of December 31, 1975, 978,180 retired em- ployees (not including survivors) were receiving 'Advisory Council on Social Security, Report of the Quadrennial Advisory Council on Social Security, Com- nittee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representa- tives (94th Cong., Ist sess.), 1975. 'See Elizabeth M. Heidbreder, Federal Civil-Service Annuitants and Social Security, Social Security But- letin, July 1969, pages 20-38. BULLETIN, NOVEMBER 1977

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