Pension Plans: Survivor Benefit Coverage for Wives Increased After 1984 Pension Law

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on survivor pension benefits for widowed individuals, focusing on: (1) the prevalence of survivor pension benefits; (2) the relative size of survivor benefits received by widowed men and women; (3) the rate at which married pension retirees are retaining a joint and survivor (J&S) annuities; and (4) whether the rate of J&S annuity retention has changed since the Retirement Equity Act of 1984.