This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a very similar situation with my father - his FRA was in October 2024 but we filed for January 2025 benefits. After reading through everyone's experiences, I'm feeling much more confident about calling SSA to request the month adjustment. Just wanted to add one more data point: I called the 800 number last week for a different question and the wait time was about 45 minutes around 2pm. So the earlier morning suggestion definitely sounds worth trying! @Isabella Ferreira - thank you so much for the insider tips about asking for a "Benefit Authorizer" and using the term "protective writing date adjustment." Having worked in customer service myself, I know how much the right terminology can help get things done efficiently. For anyone else in this situation, I'm planning to call Monday morning and will update this thread with how it goes. Fingers crossed it's as straightforward as everyone is saying!

I'm in a similar situation but wondering about one detail - if someone's FRA is early in the month (like November 3rd) versus late in the month (like November 28th), does that affect when benefits can actually start? I've seen conflicting information about whether SSA uses the exact FRA date or just the FRA month for determining eligibility. Also, for those who have successfully made this change, did you notice any impact on your Medicare premiums or other deductions? I'm trying to understand if changing the benefit start date affects anything else beyond just the monthly payment amount. The $175/month difference mentioned earlier really puts this in perspective - that's definitely worth a phone call!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really grateful for this detailed discussion about WEP and GPO - it's helping me understand these provisions much better. Carmen, your situation resonates with me as my own family is dealing with similar public pension complications. One thing I'd like to add that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you might want to check if your wife's teaching service included any periods where Social Security taxes were actually withheld. Some districts switched their participation in Social Security over the years, and there might be additional quarters of coverage that aren't immediately obvious from those summer jobs alone. Also, while everyone has correctly pointed out that GPO likely eliminates spousal benefits in your wife's case, it's worth noting that the GPO calculation uses your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), not your actual reduced benefit amount. With WEP being repealed, your PIA should increase, which could theoretically affect the spousal benefit calculation before the GPO offset is applied - though given the size of her pension, it probably won't change the end result. The community advice about getting everything in writing from SSA is spot on. These cases are complex enough that having official documentation will be invaluable for your planning.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to echo what others have said about how helpful this discussion has been! Carmen, your situation really illustrates the complexity that many families face with these provisions. I'd like to add one practical suggestion that might be useful: consider reaching out to your state's retired teachers association or your wife's teacher retirement system directly. Many of these organizations have benefits counselors who are specifically trained on how state pensions interact with Social Security provisions like GPO. They often have resources and workshops dedicated to helping members understand these exact scenarios. Also, while the GPO will likely eliminate spousal benefits given your wife's pension amount, I'd encourage you to still file for them once the WEP changes are fully implemented. Even if the benefit is zero, having the official determination on record can be important for future planning purposes and ensures you don't miss any potential changes if circumstances shift. The advice about keeping detailed records really cannot be overstated - I've seen too many cases where inconsistent information from different SSA representatives caused confusion later on. Getting everything documented will serve you well. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread - as someone new to navigating these waters, I've learned a tremendous amount from reading through all these thoughtful responses!

As someone new to this community, I wanted to jump in and say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm actually in a very similar situation - my husband worked for the postal service for most of his career and I'm trying to understand how GPO might affect my potential spousal benefits when I'm eligible. Reading through everyone's experiences has been eye-opening. The key takeaway for me is that the actual calculations are much more nuanced than the simple "GPO eliminates everything" narrative you often hear. @Freya Thomsen's real-world example of still receiving $83/month despite a substantial teacher pension really drives home the point that it's worth applying regardless of what the rough calculations suggest. I'm also bookmarking the advice about gathering all pension documentation upfront and considering in-person appointments over the phone system. The MySocialSecurity account tip for checking old work credits is something I hadn't considered either. @MidnightRider - your wife's situation with 32 years of teaching plus that department store experience actually sounds quite promising based on what others have shared here. I hope you'll keep us posted on how the application goes! This community's combination of technical knowledge and personal experiences is exactly what people need when navigating these complex rules. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment for those of us trying to figure out these complicated systems!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by how thorough and helpful this discussion has been! I'm in a similar boat - my spouse worked as a firefighter for the city and we've been confused about GPO rules for years. What really stands out to me is how many misconceptions there are about these provisions. Like others have mentioned, I always assumed GPO meant automatic disqualification from any spousal benefits, but seeing the real examples here (@Freya Thomsen's $83/month, @Amara Adebayo's aunt getting $117/month) shows that's not necessarily true. The advice about checking MySocialSecurity for any previous work credits is something I never considered either. My spouse worked construction for several years before joining the fire department, so we should definitely look into that. @MidnightRider - your situation actually sounds quite promising given all the insights shared here. With your wife's department store experience plus the detailed roadmap everyone has provided, I'd definitely encourage moving forward with the application. Even if the monthly amount turns out to be modest, it could really add up over time. Thanks to everyone for sharing both the technical knowledge and personal experiences - this is exactly the kind of community support that makes navigating these complex government systems so much more manageable!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Matthew. I went through this when my stepmother passed away in October. The SSA reclaimed her final payment exactly 28 days after the funeral home reported her death. What really helped me was creating a simple timeline in my phone notes with key dates - death date, bank notification date, funeral home reporting date, etc. This made it easier to track progress when calling for updates. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: once SSA starts the reclamation process, your bank will typically see it show up as a "pending government adjustment" or similar transaction before it actually processes. Ask your bank to flag your account so they can call you when this pending transaction appears - it usually means the money will be pulled within 2-3 business days after that. Also, don't forget that as POD beneficiary, you may be able to access other accounts or assets while waiting for this specific issue to resolve. The whole process is emotionally draining when you're grieving, but it does end. Hang in there.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Matthew. I went through this exact situation when my mother passed away in March of last year. The SSA reclaimed her final payment about 3.5 weeks after the funeral home reported her death. One thing that really helped reduce my stress was calling the SSA's main number and asking to speak with someone in their "survivorship benefits" department - they were much more knowledgeable about reclamation timelines than general customer service. The representative was able to confirm that the death had been properly reported and gave me an estimated timeframe for when the reclamation would occur. Also, I'd recommend keeping a simple log of all your calls and conversations - it became invaluable when I needed to reference previous discussions with different agencies. The waiting is absolutely the hardest part when you're trying to move forward with settling the estate, but this bureaucratic hurdle will be behind you soon. Stay strong during this difficult process.

Great decision on waiting until her FRA! Just wanted to add one more consideration that might be helpful - make sure to factor in Medicare costs when doing your calculations. Since your wife is 63, she'll need to bridge health insurance until she's eligible for Medicare at 65. If she's currently on your employer plan or paying for individual coverage, those costs should be part of your decision matrix. Also, when she does file at 67, make sure she applies about 3-4 months before her birthday to avoid any delays in processing. The SSA can be slow, and you don't want to miss any monthly payments due to paperwork delays. You've gotten excellent advice here from the community!

Just want to emphasize something that might get overlooked in all these calculations - don't forget about cost of living adjustments (COLAs)! Both your wife's own retirement benefit and any spousal benefit she receives will get annual COLA increases. So if she waits until 67 and gets that $1,400 spousal benefit, it won't stay at $1,400 - it'll increase each year with inflation adjustments. This makes the "waiting" strategy even more valuable over time since she'll be getting COLAs applied to the higher base amount. Also, since you mentioned trying to reach SSA - their online calculators at ssa.gov can give you pretty accurate estimates without having to wait on hold for hours. You can create a my Social Security account and run different scenarios to see exactly what her benefits would look like at different claiming ages.