This is incredibly helpful information! I had no idea there were so many different layers of protection available. I think I'll start with just the Electronic Access Block since I already have my credit frozen. Really appreciate everyone's advice here!

Just wanted to add another security tip that's worked well for me - consider setting up account alerts with the Social Security Administration if you do keep online access, or make sure to regularly check your Social Security Statement (Form SSA-1099) when it comes in the mail each year. I caught a discrepancy in my earnings record this way that turned out to be someone using my SSN for employment. Even with all these blocks in place, it's still good to periodically verify that your actual benefits and earnings history look correct. The earlier you catch these issues, the easier they are to resolve!

One more important tip - when you call SSA, ask them to look at your new "computation years" and how your additional earnings affect your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). Those are the technical terms they use internally. Also have ready a list of the years you worked while on SSDI and approximately how much you earned each year. This will help them pull up the right information more quickly. And keep in mind that if your original disability began before you had 35 years of earnings, these additional work years might be particularly valuable in increasing your benefit.

Just want to add that you should also ask SSA for a copy of your updated benefit computation when they do the recalculation. They can provide a breakdown showing exactly which years of earnings they used and how your new earnings affected the calculation. This documentation is helpful for your records and can also help you understand whether the recalculation gave you the maximum possible benefit increase. Sometimes people are eligible for additional adjustments they weren't initially given.

Bottom line: Stay on SSDI until your Full Retirement Age (67). At that point, your SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits at the same amount. If you want to try working before then, use the work incentives designed for SSDI recipients (Trial Work Period, etc.) rather than switching to early retirement. The permanent reduction from taking early retirement almost never makes financial sense for someone already receiving SSDI.

Just wanted to add another important consideration - if you do decide to explore work options while on SSDI, make sure to keep detailed records of ALL your earnings and work activities. The SSA uses something called "countable income" which isn't always the same as what you actually receive. For example, if you're self-employed, they look at your net earnings from self-employment after business expenses. Also, some types of income don't count toward the SGA limit (like certain disability-related work expenses). I learned this the hard way when I had to provide documentation going back months during a review. Having everything organized from day one makes the process much smoother if you get questioned later.

I work at a local Social Security office and see this issue weekly! A few tips to save you time: 1) Call SSA at 7:55 AM sharp on Tuesday-Thursday for shortest wait times, 2) When you get through, specifically ask to speak with someone who can help with "online account access issues" - not all reps can handle this, 3) Have his SSN, full name, date of birth, and current address ready. Most of the time it's either a forgotten account from years ago or someone else's typo. The rep can usually resolve it in 10-15 minutes once they pull up his record. Good luck!

I work in IT support and see similar email conflicts across different government systems pretty regularly. One thing that might help while you're waiting to call SSA - try checking if your husband has ever used variations of his email address anywhere. For example, if his email is john.smith@gmail.com, he might have used johnsmith@gmail.com or john_smith@gmail.com at some point. Gmail treats these as the same address, but SSA's system might have them stored as separate entries. Also, if he has multiple email addresses (work, personal, old accounts), try the forgot password process with each one - sometimes people forget which email they used when creating government accounts. I know it's frustrating, but these database conflicts are surprisingly common in older government systems that weren't designed to handle modern email variations. The solutions everyone shared about calling early and asking for the right specialist are spot on!

Just wanted to update - I finally got through to SSA (used that Claimyr service again) and they confirmed that for FERS employees with mixed earnings history like yours, the FAIR Act may provide additional relief even if you're already partially protected from WEP. The representative explained that they're processing updates in batches, with priority given to those closest to retirement age. If you're planning to retire in 3 years, I'd recommend contacting them soon to ensure your estimates reflect the new calculation method.

As someone who's been following the FAIR Act implementation closely, I wanted to add that the SSA has been sending out notifications to affected beneficiaries in waves. Since you're FERS with 13 years postal service plus 22 years of other SS-covered work, you're likely in a good position. The key thing to remember is that FERS employees like yourself paid into Social Security during your postal years, unlike CSRS employees who didn't. This means your WEP reduction (if any) should be minimal compared to CSRS retirees. The FAIR Act is designed to help people in exactly your situation - those with mixed careers who've been unfairly penalized. I'd suggest creating a my Social Security account online if you haven't already, as they're rolling out updated benefit estimates there first before sending paper statements. Also, when you do contact SSA, ask specifically about the "substantial earnings" threshold for each of your working years - this is crucial for determining your WEP exemption status.