SWIFT Act
Sponsored By: Senator Richard Blumenthal
Introduced
Summary
Expand and speed access to survivors benefits for widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses, especially those with disabilities. The bill would broaden eligibility for unreduced survivor payments, remove some early‑claim reductions, raise the child‑in‑care age, and change how delayed claiming increases are calculated.
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- Disabled survivors: Disabled widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses would be able to claim unreduced survivors benefits at any age if they meet the bill's disability criteria. This lets disabled survivors access full payments sooner.
- Younger claimants: The bill would eliminate certain reductions that apply when survivor benefits are claimed before normal retirement age. That makes early claims more financially viable for younger survivors.
- Children and caregivers: It raises the age limit for child‑in‑care survivor benefits so more children being cared for by a surviving parent qualify for survivor payments.
- Delayed‑claim increases: The measure would redefine and potentially raise the cap on widow’s and widower’s benefits tied to delayed claiming and creates new formulas for increases based on delayed entitlement.
- Protections and outreach: Current beneficiaries would get protections so higher survivor benefits do not jeopardize eligibility for other federal, state, or local programs. The Social Security Administration would also have to publish and distribute a benefits booklet for survivors.
Most changes would apply to survivor benefit determinations on or after Jan. 1, 2027.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Longer child survivor benefits for families
If enacted, this would raise the child-in-care age limit so a child can qualify for survivor pay up to age 18. A full-time elementary or secondary student could qualify up to age 19. The change would apply to benefit decisions on or after January 1, 2027.
More survivor pay for widows and widowers
If enacted, this would give widows and widowers higher survivor pay if they delay or ask that payments not be made. New monthly increases would apply for months beginning on or after January 1, 2027, but increases could not exceed a cap tied to the deceased worker's old-age benefit. The monthly cap itself would also change so it is the greater of the deceased's adjusted old-age amount or 82.5% of the worker's PIA.
Protect other benefits from extra Social Security income
If enacted, this would require that extra Title II Social Security income from these changes not be counted when deciding eligibility or benefit amounts for other Federal or federally funded State or local programs. The protection would apply only to programs you were getting on the law's effective date, January 1, 2027. If you later stop getting the other program, the protection would end for that program.
Unreduced pay for disabled surviving spouses
If enacted, this would let more disabled widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses get unreduced survivor pay. The bill would remove the old 50–59 age limit, relax when the disability must have begun, and prevent some reductions when counting months for benefits. These changes would apply starting January 1, 2027.
Survivors benefits booklet and mailing
If enacted, SSA would publish a survivors benefits booklet by January 1, 2027. For deaths on or after that date, SSA would mail the booklet within 30 days to each known widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse. The booklet would explain how to claim survivors and old-age benefits and how timing affects amounts.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Cosponsors
Kirsten Gillibrand
NY • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Patty Murray
WA • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Bernie Sanders
VT • I
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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