Feds To Retroactively Grant Social Security Spousal Benefits To Couples In States Affected By Obergefell Ruling

If you are living in one of the eleven states that didn’t have same-sex marriage until the Obergefell ruling, the federal government will now retroactively offer Social Security spousal benefits. The Hill reports:

Susan Sommer of Lambda Legal said the government’s decision “could right a wrong for hundreds of same-sex spouses” who lived in the 11 states that didn’t recognize same-sex marriages before the Supreme Court’s decision in June. Sommer said the decision will hopefully pave the way for widows and widowers who lived in those states to get spousal benefits and make it easier for same-sex couples to get retiree benefits. Dave Williams, an Arkansas widower, and Kathy Murphy, a Texas widow, had sued the government after being denied spousal benefits. The two argued that the Social Security Administration should recognize their marriages retroactively and give them full spousal benefits. Both Williams’s husband and Murphy’s wife died before the Supreme Court decision in June.

(Tipped by JMG reader Keith)