The SWIFT Act makes several changes to Social Security survivor benefits for widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses. The bill eliminates age restrictions that currently require disabled survivors to be at least 50 years old to receive unreduced benefits, allowing disabled survivors of any age to qualify for full benefits. It also removes the automatic reductions in benefit amounts that currently apply to survivors who claim benefits before retirement age. Additionally, the bill increases the age limit for child-in-care benefits from 16 to 18 years old (or 19 for full-time students) and creates a new system of benefit increases for survivors who delay claiming their benefits, similar to the delayed retirement credits available to retirees. The legislation also requires the Social Security Administration to publish and distribute information booklets to survivors about available benefits. All changes take effect January 1, 2025, and the bill includes a provision to ensure that increased survivor benefits do not cause people to lose eligibility for other federal, state, or local assistance programs.
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