(a) General. If an age reduced employee or spouse overall minimum benefit is not paid for certain months before the employee or spouse attains retirement age, or the employee becomes entitled to a DIB O/M, the age reduction may be adjusted to drop the months for which no payment was made or the overall minimum rate was not reduced for age.

(b) Employee adjusted age reduction. The following months are deducted from the months used to determine the age reduction in the Overall Minimum PIA amount, effective the month in which the employee attains retirement age or becomes entitled to a DIB O/M:

(1) Months in which the increase under the overall minimum is completely or partially deducted because of the employee's excess earnings; and

(2) Months in which the employee is entitled to a DIB O/M as well as a reduced O/M.

(c) Spouse adjusted age reduction. The following months are deducted from the months used to determine the age reduction in the spouse overall minimum benefit, effective the month in which the spouse attains retirement age:

(1) Months in which the spouse O/M benefit is completely or partially deducted because of the employee's or spouse's excess earnings:

(2) Months after entitlement to a spouse O/M benefit ends for any reason;

(3) Months in which a spouse has in her care the employee's child who is under 16 years old or disabled before age 22;

(4) Months in which a DIB O/M benefit is not payable because the employee refused rehabilitation service (see §229.81 of this part).