Synopsis
This brief describes how retirement pensions are routinely denied to same-sex partners, and how this lack of pension protection can devastate an LGBT partner.
LGBT older adults are often denied pension plan options that provide financial protections for a surviving partner – even though LGBT employees earn their pensions through the same hard work and financial contributions as their heterosexual counterparts. The lack of pension income can devastate a surviving partner in the event of a death, especially given that LGBT elders are poorer and less financially secure than American elders as a whole. Even when both partners are healthy, LGBT older adults are denied the peace of mind that comes from knowing that a surviving partner will receive an adequate living income upon the death of the pension holder. One of eleven issue briefs based on the SAGE/MAP report Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults.
