I'm a disability advocate and wanted to share some additional insights that might help. The wait times vary significantly by hearing office - some are as short as 4-6 months while others can stretch to 12+ months. You can actually look up your specific hearing office's average processing time on SSA's website to get a better estimate. One thing I always tell families is to document EVERYTHING during this waiting period. Keep a daily log of your daughter's challenges, meltdowns, assistance she needs, etc. This real-time documentation can be incredibly powerful evidence that shows her consistent limitations rather than just a snapshot from medical appointments. For the hearing itself, I'd strongly recommend requesting accommodations in writing well before the hearing date. This should include having you present to assist with communication, allowing breaks if she becomes overwhelmed, and using simple language. Don't just rely on verbal requests the day of the hearing. Regarding DAC benefits - this is actually a separate application process, but the disability determination from your SSDI hearing can be used for the DAC claim. If approved, DAC benefits are often higher than what someone would get on their own record, especially for someone young with limited work history. Your attorney should be explaining all of this clearly. If they're not, don't hesitate to ask pointed questions or even consider getting a second opinion. You're your daughter's best advocate in this process!

I'm going through a similar situation with my adult son who has autism and intellectual disability. We're about 6 months into our hearing wait after reconsideration denial, and I completely understand your anxiety about the process. A few things that have helped us prepare: First, I started keeping a detailed journal of his daily challenges and needs for assistance - things like needing reminders to eat, getting overwhelmed by changes in routine, difficulty with phone calls or paperwork. This documentation has been invaluable for showing his real-world limitations. For the hearing anxiety, our attorney suggested we could request a "pre-hearing conference" where we briefly meet the judge beforehand so my son can get familiar with them before the actual hearing. This might help your daughter feel less anxious about speaking to a stranger. Also, regarding your comment about her potentially saying what she thinks people want to hear - this is SO common with people who have intellectual disabilities. Make sure your attorney understands this "masking" behavior and can explain it to the judge. We've been practicing with my son that it's okay to say "I don't know" or "I need help with that" rather than just agreeing. One practical tip: bring a comfort item or fidget tool for your daughter if that helps her self-regulate during stressful situations. Most judges are understanding about these accommodations. The waiting is absolutely the hardest part, but you're doing everything right by getting an attorney and preparing thoroughly. Your advocacy for your daughter is clear in every word you've written.

One final note: make sure when you speak with RRB that you specifically ask about the

I'm in a similar situation and went through this process last year. The key thing to understand is that Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits are already coordinated with Social Security - you're essentially getting the Social Security equivalent through RRB. However, you should definitely check with RRB about your ex-husband's record since you were married 15 years. Even though you can't "double dip" and get full benefits from both systems, RRB will calculate if your ex-husband's Social Security earnings record would result in a higher benefit than what you're currently receiving. If so, you might be entitled to the difference. The Social Security Fairness Act that passed recently mainly affects WEP/GPO provisions for government workers, not Railroad Retirement beneficiaries. When you call RRB, ask them to run a "deemed filing" calculation using your ex-husband's Social Security record to see if you qualify for any additional amount.

As someone who works in elder services, I want to emphasize that your brother's situation is actually quite common and manageable. The most critical thing is that he files for his Social Security benefits immediately - every month of delay is literally money out of his pocket that he can never recover. Here's what I typically advise clients in similar situations: 1) File the Social Security application online at ssa.gov right away, 2) Within a week of filing, contact both the child support enforcement agency and the IRS to proactively discuss payment arrangements before automatic garnishments begin, 3) Request hardship evaluations from both agencies if the combined garnishments would leave him below subsistence level. Most importantly, he should know that Social Security benefits can never be completely garnished - there are federal protections in place. Even in worst-case scenarios, he'll likely retain 35-50% of his benefits, which is infinitely better than the zero dollars he's receiving by avoiding the system. The fear of garnishment shouldn't prevent him from claiming benefits he's rightfully earned through decades of work.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful advice on this important topic. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational about how Social Security garnishments actually work in practice. The consensus seems very clear - your brother should absolutely file for his benefits immediately despite his debt concerns. What really stands out to me is how many people emphasized that he's losing money every single month he delays, and that even with garnishments, some income is infinitely better than no income. The practical advice about contacting agencies proactively to set up voluntary payment plans before automatic garnishments kick in seems especially valuable. I hope your brother takes action soon - it sounds like he has a much better path forward than he probably realizes!

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses. After reading through everything, I think I'll take the following approach: 1. Talk to my doctor next week about whether my condition meets SSA's disability criteria and get their opinion on filing for SSDI 2. Make sure my part-time hours keep me under the SGA limit while applying 3. Begin the SSDI application process and see what happens 4. If denied, I'll still have my original plan of taking early retirement at 62 The potential financial difference between SSDI and early retirement seems significant enough to at least try applying. Even if it's a long process, I've still got almost 2 years before I turn 62, so there's time to navigate the system. I really appreciate all the personal experiences and expertise shared here!

As someone who recently went through a similar decision process, I'd strongly recommend documenting everything about your medical condition and work limitations NOW, before you apply. Keep a daily log of symptoms, bad days, how your condition affects your work performance, etc. I made the mistake of applying without thorough documentation and got denied initially. Had to go through the appeals process with much better records the second time around. Also, consider getting a functional capacity evaluation from your doctor - SSA really values objective medical evidence about what you can and can't do work-wise. Your plan sounds solid, but be prepared for the process to take longer than expected. I'd also suggest applying online rather than over the phone - the SSA website lets you save your progress and you have more control over the information you provide. Good luck! The financial difference really is worth pursuing, especially since you have that backup plan at 62.

I went through this exact calculation with my mom when my dad passed in 2019. She was born in 1957 so her survivor FRA was 66 and 6 months. What really helped us was creating a spreadsheet to compare the monthly benefit amounts at different claiming ages. Don't forget that once you start receiving survivor benefits, you'll also get annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), so starting a bit earlier might make sense depending on your financial situation. Also, survivor benefits aren't subject to the earnings test once you reach your survivor FRA, which is different from regular retirement benefits. The SSA representatives can run benefit estimates for you at different ages if you call with your husband's Social Security number and death certificate information.

I work at a local SSA field office and deal with survivor benefit calculations daily. Yes, SSA absolutely prorates survivor benefits by month - there's no waiting until the next age milestone. However, I want to clarify something important that might be confusing you. The percentages you mentioned (91.86% at 65, 95.93% at 66) seem to be from a general chart, but your actual calculation depends on YOUR specific Full Retirement Age for survivor benefits based on your birth year. If you were born in 1958, your survivor FRA is 66 and 8 months, which means at 66 and 6 months you'd actually get about 99.125% of your husband's benefit (only a 0.875% reduction for being 2 months early). I'd recommend calling SSA with your husband's information to get your exact benefit estimate at different claiming ages - they can run scenarios for you. The difference between using the wrong FRA assumption versus your actual FRA could be significant over time.