Civil Service Retirement System annuitants and Social Security

This article examines the extent to which annuitants of the Federal employee Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) are entitled to Social Security benefits. It is based on linked administrative data files from the two systems. Ninety-one percent of all those receiving CSRS annuities in 1979 had worked at some point in their careers in jobs that were covered by Social Security. Almost 80 percent of the annuitants aged 65 or older were entitled to Medicare benefits. Of those aged 62 or older, 73 percent were entitled to Social Security cash benefits, including 10 percent who were entitled only as spouses or survivors of workers covered under Social Security. About 39 percent of the female annuitants aged 62 or older were entitled to benefits as wives or widows of workers, including some who were also insured for benefits based on their own earnings. The average combined benefit for those with Social Security was +845 among annuitants aged 62 or older. For those receiving only CSRS annuities, the average was +959. Those not entitled to a Social Security benefit tended to have more years of Federal service and higher annuities than did those entitled to both a Social Security benefit and a CSRS annuity.