Has anybody mentioned that if she applies now for disability they'll look at her work credits from like the last 10 years? My cousin's wife had mental health issues too but waited too long and didn't have enough recent work credits for SSDI. Not sure about the SSI thing though.

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice! I'm going to help my wife apply for SSI to document her disability status, even though we expect to be denied due to our household income. We'll also work on gathering all her medical records and making sure her condition is well-documented. And we'll definitely use that phone service to speak directly with SSA about our specific situation. This community has been incredibly helpful - I feel much better informed about our options now. Turning off comments.

No, your receipt of survivor benefits as a divorced spouse does not reduce or affect any benefits that your ex-husband's current wife would receive. The SSA calculates divorced spouse benefits separately from current spouse benefits. Both of you could receive the maximum you're entitled to without affecting each other's benefits.This is different from the family maximum limit that applies when multiple people (like children) are drawing benefits on the same worker's record. For divorced spouses who were married at least 10 years, this limitation doesn't apply in the same way.

That's great to know! I wouldn't want his current family to be affected by my claim. Thank you all for the helpful information. I feel much more prepared now if this situation does arise.

DON'T TRUST THE ONLINE APPLICATION!!! When I filed last year I checked 'Yes' for Part B and entered my benefit start date but SSA started my Part B THREE MONTHS EARLY and I got billed for premiums while still on my employer plan!!! Had to spend weeks fixing this mess with multiple calls and visits to SS office. Instead call SSA directly and speak to a real person about your situation. Get their name and extension. Ask them to put notes in your file about the EXACT dates you want Part B to start. The online system has tons of glitches with Medicare enrollment timing!!!!

I'm a former benefits coordinator, and I've helped many people through this process. Here's what you should do: 1. Check "Yes" for Part B enrollment on the retirement application. 2. In the section where you specify when you want benefits to begin, enter January 2025. 3. Before finalizing the application, there should be a summary screen - verify all dates match your intentions. 4. After submission, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to confirm your application details were processed correctly. Ask specifically about the Part B effective date. 5. Request written confirmation of your Part B start date. The reason people sometimes have issues is that the online system can be confusing. However, if you check "No" for Part B now, you'd need to complete a separate enrollment process later, which might complicate things unnecessarily.

btw you should know they don't make the first SS payment right ON your birthday month. My dad had to wait until the month AFTER he turned 66 to get his first payment. something about how they pay for the previous month or something weird like that

Update: We received the Direct Express card in the mail yesterday! Just as many of you predicted. We're going to use it for now and then go to the local SSA office next month to see about switching to direct deposit once we set up a joint checking account. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

I'm an attorney who works with special needs planning, and I'd encourage you to think about this as using both tools rather than choosing between them. They serve different purposes in a comprehensive special needs plan:1. ABLE Account: Ideal for managing the month-to-month SSI resource limit issue. Low administrative costs, potential tax advantages, and easier access for qualified disability expenses.2. Special Needs Trust: Critical for larger sums, inheritance planning, and protection of means-tested benefits long-term.The most effective strategy I see with my clients is using the ABLE account for regular excess funds (transferring money as needed to stay under $2,000), while maintaining the SNT for larger financial planning. This combined approach provides both protection and flexibility.One important consideration: if your son receives Medicaid (as most SSI recipients do), be aware of potential Medicaid estate recovery issues with ABLE accounts after his lifetime. This is where having the special needs trust as part of your overall plan remains important.

Thank you for this professional perspective. We're definitely going to maintain both and use them strategically as you suggested. It makes sense to use the ABLE account for the monthly management and keep the trust for long-term planning. I appreciate everyone's input! This has been incredibly helpful in making our decision.

EVERYONE here is missing a CRITICAL point!!! If the original poster dies before FRA but has NOT yet filed for benefits, the widow IS ENTITLED TO A SPECIAL BENEFIT called the WINDEX!!! The Widow's Index calculation gives her MORE than 100% of his PIA in some cases. SSA won't tell you this because they don't want to pay extra!!!

To summarize for anyone else with similar questions: If you die before filing for your own benefits, your wife would receive 100% of your PIA if she claims at her FRA. If you file early and then die, she'd get the higher of what you were receiving or 82.5% of your PIA. If you delay until 70 and then pass away, she'd get your increased benefit with delayed retirement credits. Since you're planning to wait until 70 and she'll claim at her FRA, you're already following an optimal strategy for maximizing her potential survivor benefits.

For your specific situation with a 12-year age gap, here's what you should consider: 1. Your husband should coordinate Medicare enrollment at 65 regardless of when he takes Social Security 2. Since you're only 52, you have 10+ years before you reach your own eligibility for retirement benefits 3. Given your age difference, maximizing your husband's benefit has long-term advantages: - Higher survivor benefits for you if he passes away first - Increased household income when you're both in your 70s and 80s - Protection against longevity risk (outliving your money) 4. For self-employed individuals with historically low reported income: - Yes, working a W-2 job with higher reported income for even 3-5 years can significantly increase benefits - Consider restructuring your business to pay yourselves higher W-2 wages if possible - Look into voluntary increased contributions to Social Security (there are limitations) The book recommendation from another commenter is excellent. I'd also suggest scheduling a consultation with an SSA claims specialist to review your specific earnings record and options. Their expertise is free and they can model different claiming strategies based on your exact situation.

just wanted to add that the medicare part is totally different from ss benefits! my husband signed up for medicare right at 65 but waited till 68 for his ss checks to start. you can do them separate

One more thing to consider: if you can't qualify for survivor benefits based on this marriage, check if you might qualify based on your previous marriage if it lasted at least 10 years. If you were married to your ex for 10+ years, you could potentially claim survivor benefits on his record when he passes (or even spousal benefits if he's still living and you're both old enough). Also, when you apply, bring any evidence that you held yourselves out as married to the community - joint bank accounts, insurance policies listing each other as spouses, deeds or leases showing both names, even holiday cards addressed to you as a married couple. SSA looks at the totality of circumstances in cases like yours.

BTW dont forget you have to apply for the $255 death benefit too! Its not much but every bit helps when dealing with funeral costs

To answer your follow-up question - yes, it does matter that your husband hadn't started collecting yet when he passed away at 61. In this case, your survivor benefit would be based on: 1. 100% of what your husband would have received if he had reached his Full Retirement Age (FRA) 2. This amount would then be subject to the GPO reduction (2/3 of your government pension) Since he hadn't started collecting, you're eligible for his full FRA benefit amount (before the GPO reduction), not just what he was receiving. This could potentially make a significant difference in the calculation. Also, make sure to bring documentation of your 1970-1977 dual contribution period. Those years might qualify for the "substantial earnings" test that could reduce the WEP impact on your own benefit, which in turn might affect whether your own benefit or the survivor benefit is higher.

Has anyone on here actually gotten the GPO completely eliminated because of those years paying into both systems? My mom is in a similar situation with some years of dual contributions but SS told her it didn't matter.

im confused does he get both survivor and retirement benefits at same time? my husband died last year and im turning 65 next month so trying to figure out my own situation

I'm glad to see others have provided helpful information. One more technical detail: If you file a reconsideration (form SSA-561) for the Medicare premium withholding, you can also request "immediate benefit continuation" while the reconsideration is being processed. This is especially appropriate when the withholding amount seems disproportionate to the actual amount owed. Also, once this is resolved, you might want to switch to having your Medicare premiums deducted monthly directly from your bank account through Medicare Easy Pay. This avoids these kinds of problems during benefit transitions. You can set this up at medicare.gov or by completing form SF-5510.