I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Reading through this thread, I'm really impressed by how thoroughly and thoughtfully you've handled such a complex situation during an incredibly difficult time. The community here has provided excellent guidance, and it's clear you've taken all the right steps. One additional point I wanted to mention - since you mentioned your mother was on Medicaid in a nursing home, you might want to keep detailed records of the Social Security payment reclaim when it happens. Sometimes state Medicaid agencies need documentation of these transactions for their own record-keeping, especially if there are any estate recovery proceedings later on. Having that paper trail could save you headaches down the road. Also, regarding joint bank accounts and Medicaid estate recovery - each state has different rules about how they handle jointly-owned assets, so definitely follow up with your state's Medicaid office as others have suggested. Some states have lookback periods or exemptions that might apply to your situation. You've really done everything right, and I hope the lump sum death benefit comes through quickly for you. Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. What a difficult time this must be for you. Reading through this entire thread, I'm struck by how well you've handled such a complex situation while grieving. The advice you've received here has been excellent, and it's clear you've taken all the right steps. I wanted to add one small thing that might be helpful - when you do get that timeline document together that Beatrice suggested, consider also including the contact information for the specific SSA office or agent you worked with. Sometimes having a direct contact can be invaluable if you need to follow up or if questions arise later. Also, since you mentioned feeling overwhelmed by all of this initially, please know that what you're experiencing is completely normal. Navigating government benefits and estate matters while grieving is genuinely challenging, and you should be proud of how thoroughly and responsibly you've approached everything. Take care of yourself during this difficult time, and don't hesitate to reach out to this community again if other questions come up as you continue handling your mother's affairs.

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I've been following this discussion with great interest since I'm approaching my own FRA in a few months and plan to keep working afterward. The information shared here has been incredibly valuable - especially the real experiences from people like Elliott who actually went through this situation. It's so reassuring to hear multiple confirmations that there truly are NO earnings limits once you reach FRA. I'm particularly grateful for the heads-up about tax implications. I hadn't considered that my Social Security benefits might become substantially taxable when combined with work income. That's definitely something I need to factor into my planning. One additional resource I'd like to mention for anyone still feeling uncertain: the SSA website has a retirement earnings test calculator that can help illustrate how earnings affect benefits at different ages. While it confirms what everyone here has said about FRA, it's sometimes helpful to see it in the official SSA format too. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread - you've provided more clarity than hours of online research could deliver!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for such a thorough and helpful discussion! I'm currently 64 and planning my retirement strategy, so this thread has been incredibly valuable in understanding what happens when you work past FRA. The consistent message from multiple people with real experience - that there are absolutely NO earnings limits once you reach FRA - is exactly what I needed to hear. It's amazing how much clearer this becomes when you hear from actual people who've lived through it rather than trying to decipher government websites. I'm particularly appreciative of the practical insights about tax implications and the potential for benefit increases from continued work. These are details you don't often see mentioned in the basic "what you need to know about Social Security" articles. One quick question for the group: for those who continued working past FRA, did you adjust your tax withholdings from your paychecks to account for the additional tax burden from having both work income and Social Security benefits? I'm trying to figure out if I should increase my withholding rate or just plan to make quarterly estimated payments. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource!

As a new member who's been researching this topic for my own family situation, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed discussion. The math example that Camila provided really helps illustrate how these calculations work in practice. One thing I'd add for anyone reading this thread: make sure to also consider that your wife's own Social Security benefit (from her 12 years of covered employment) will likely be reduced by WEP when she starts collecting it. This is separate from the GPO impact on survivor benefits, but it's another piece of the puzzle that affects overall retirement planning. Also, I've found that many local SSA offices have staff who aren't fully versed in WEP/GPO calculations, so getting multiple opinions or using the online calculators on SSA.gov can be helpful to verify the numbers you're given. Your situation shows that even with these provisions, strategic timing decisions can still make a meaningful difference. The $990 monthly difference in survivor benefits you calculated is substantial over time.

As someone who just joined this community to learn more about Social Security planning, I'm amazed by how helpful this discussion has been! The real-world example with actual numbers really clarifies how WEP and GPO work together. I'm in a similar situation - my spouse is a teacher with a non-SS pension, and I've been wondering about the timing of my own Social Security claim. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that the key is getting the specific pension projection numbers and doing the math rather than making general assumptions. One question for the group: Are there any other factors beyond the basic GPO calculation that could affect survivor benefits? I've heard something about "last day worked" rules but I'm not sure if that applies to these situations or if it's something else entirely. Also, @20ea8c58d5d0 - thank you for sharing your specific numbers. It really helps to see how the calculations work out in a real scenario where delaying still makes sense despite the GPO reduction.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to this community but I'm dealing with a very similar situation with my ex-husband who has both a federal pension and Social Security. I've been hesitant to apply for ex-spousal benefits because I assumed his government pension would drastically reduce what I could receive. After reading through everyone's experiences, I realize I may have been completely wrong about how this works. It sounds like his WEP reduction doesn't affect my potential ex-spousal benefits at all - only whether I have my own government pension would trigger GPO for me. I'm definitely going to contact SSA to have my case reviewed. Has anyone had success getting through to SSA recently, or should I try that Claimyr service that was mentioned? I'm 68 and have been collecting my own benefits for 2 years, but now I'm wondering if I've been leaving money on the table this whole time!

Welcome to the community! I'm relatively new here too but have been following this discussion closely since I'm in a somewhat similar boat. What I'm finding really valuable about this thread is how it's cleared up so many misconceptions about WEP and GPO. Like you, I had always assumed that if an ex-spouse has government pensions, it would somehow limit what I could get in ex-spousal benefits. But it sounds like that's completely backwards - it's only YOUR own government pension that would trigger GPO and reduce your spousal/ex-spousal benefits. The WEP just reduces HIS Social Security benefit based on HIS government pension, but doesn't touch what you might be eligible for as an ex-spouse. I'm 67 and have been collecting my own SS for a year, but now I'm second-guessing whether I should have explored ex-spousal benefits more thoroughly. My ex also had military service plus a state job afterward. Reading about Justin getting an extra $400/month and others finding they were eligible for more than they thought is really motivating me to get my situation reviewed too. It's frustrating that we have to become detective investigators just to understand what we're entitled to, but threads like this are so helpful for sharing real experiences!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my SSA appointment last month. Like you, I'm on SSDI and was considering remarriage but needed to understand the financial implications first. The key thing that helped me was getting actual dollar amounts rather than just general rules. When I met with SSA, they were able to pull up my ex-spouse's earnings record and show me exactly what my divorced spouse benefit would be at different ages (62 with reduction vs. full retirement age). In my case, it turned out my SSDI was actually higher than what I'd get from my ex-spouse, so remarriage wouldn't cost me anything financially. One tip: when you call or visit SSA, ask them to run the numbers for both scenarios - your current SSDI converting to retirement benefits vs. potential divorced spouse benefits from your first husband. They can usually do this calculation on the spot if they have both records available. Also, don't forget that if you do decide to remarry later and that marriage ends, you could still potentially claim on your first husband's record at that point since those rights don't disappear permanently. Good luck with getting your answers - I know how stressful this kind of uncertainty can be when you're trying to plan your future!

I'm a Social Security representative and want to clarify a few important points that have come up in this discussion. First, you're correct that being divorced at the time of your second husband's death disqualifies you from survivor benefits from him - there are no exceptions for timing of the divorce. However, I want to emphasize something crucial: at age 60, you're actually already eligible to apply for divorced spouse benefits from your first husband (since that marriage lasted over 10 years), but they would be reduced. You don't have to wait until 62 or full retirement age. The benefit would be reduced to about 32.5% of his full benefit amount at age 60, increasing each month until you reach full retirement age. Since you're currently receiving $1,875 in SSDI, we would need to compare that to what your divorced spouse benefit would be. If the divorced spouse benefit is higher, you could potentially switch now rather than waiting. I'd strongly recommend scheduling an in-person appointment at your local SSA office rather than trying to handle this over the phone. Bring documentation of both marriages and we can run exact calculations for your specific situation. This is too important a financial decision to leave to estimates or general advice.