Sister dying, just turned 65, has not applied for SS - should she?

[Philliefan33]

Sorry to hear about your sister. I read the other thread. You are a good sibling. It’s an interesting situation. I was going to ask if she was CSRS or FERS, or maybe started under CSRS, left Federal service, and returned under FERS. I don’t know anyone that switched voluntarily since CSRS is widely considered to be superior. I don’t agree with that opinion. It can be a volatile topic. I think the transition was ~1983. Best wishes on getting this resolved without too much hassle.

My DH voluntarily switched from CSRS to FERS (aka trans-FERS) in 1988ish. It made sense for him because had he stayed CSRS he would’ve maxed out his pension (80% of his high three) at age 50 (but we knew he would probably not be ready to retire then). By going to FERS and working until mandatory retirement at age 57, his pension made it to 78% of his high three AND he got more matching funds in his Thrift for 20+ years. He started working for the US government at age 20 and stayed for 37 years. He was in the sweet spot to make the change.

OP, your sister probably did like my DH; changed to FERS when allowed. So her SS is affected by WEP but the extent will depend on how many years she paid into SS.