Hey John, big fan of your videos. My father was a railroader who unfortunately passed away a few days ago. He was 67 and has been retired for 1 year, my mother is 63, if in understanding this correctly she will receive Tier 1 & 2 combined as a Survivor Anutiy, but when she reaches FRA she can opt out of Tier 2 in favor of Social Security if it's a higher rate? Will she continue to receive Tier 1 indefinitely? I too work for the railroad, but never got a clear answer about this. Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Sorry to hear about your father passsing. Your mother will get a Survivor Annuity which is made up of your father's Tier 1 and Tier 2 amount. Her spousal annuity will go away. If her SS is higher than her Tier 1 amount then she cna can claim her own SS benefit at 70. she will always have the Tier 2 benefit.
