POMS Reference

GN 02608: Government Pension Offset

TN 26 (04-12)

A. Application filed before December 1, 1977

The Government Pension Offset (GPO) does not apply to spouse's benefits if the spouse's application:

  • was filed before December 1, 1977; and

  • the first month of entitlement was before December 1, 1977.

B. Applying GPO for prior entitlement

1. Entitlement is continuous

Do not apply GPO under the following conditions:

  • We based the spouse's prior entitlement upon an application the claimant filed before December 1, 1977 and

  • We do not require a new application for current entitlement (i.e., conversion cases).

2. Prior entitlement terminated

Apply GPO under the following conditions:

  • We based a spouse's prior entitlement upon an application the claimant filed before December 1, 1977, entitlement terminated and

  • We require a new application (filed after November 30, 1977) for current entitlement on the same or different social security number.