Retirement Income: 1984 Pension Law Will Help Some Widows but Not the Poorest

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO analyzed the potential effects of the spousal consent provision of the Retirement Equity Act of 1984 on the economic status of future widows, focusing on: (1) how many wives could gain entitlement to survivor benefits as a result of the act; (2) what economic circumstances influenced whether husbands selected survivor benefits, prior to the act; (3) to what extent survivor benefits would increase widows' incomes; (4) whether increased access to survivor benefits would help those most vulnerable to poverty; and (5) to what extent increased access to survivor benefits would lessen widows' dependence on social security.