Just wanted to add my recent experience - I applied for divorced spouse benefits 3 months ago and yes, they absolutely required a birth certificate. I tried to use my passport initially, but the SSA office said it was expired by just 2 months so they wouldn't accept it. Had to get a certified birth certificate copy from my state's vital records office online. The whole process took about 3 weeks from ordering to getting my benefits approved. One tip - when you order online, make sure to get the "long form" birth certificate if your state offers different versions, as SSA sometimes rejects the shorter abstract versions. Also, if you're planning to file online through my.ssa.gov, have all your documents ready to scan/upload because the system times out if you take too long between pages. Good luck with your application!

I work at a local SSA field office and can confirm what others have said - you definitely need either a birth certificate OR a valid unexpired passport for divorced spouse benefits. The REAL ID alone won't work because we need specific age verification documentation for benefit calculations. Since you don't have a passport, I'd strongly recommend ordering a certified copy of your birth certificate online from your birth state's vital records website rather than waiting for your sister to mail yours. Most states have this service now and it usually takes 1-2 weeks. Make sure to request the "certified" or "official" copy with the raised seal - photocopies or regular copies won't be accepted. Also, since you mentioned you're 66, you're smart to file now at your full retirement age to get the maximum divorced spouse benefit amount. The online application at ssa.gov is usually the fastest way to apply once you have all your documents ready to upload.

Regarding the inflation question - Social Security benefits receive annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) whether you've claimed benefits yet or not. Your calculated benefit at FRA includes all COLAs that occurred since you turned 62, even if you haven't started receiving benefits yet. So inflation doesn't reduce the advantage of waiting. The break-even analysis (when the total benefits received by waiting equals what you'd get by filing early) typically occurs in your early 80s. If your family has longevity as you mentioned, waiting is statistically advantageous.

I'm glad to see so many helpful responses here! Just wanted to add one practical tip - you can create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov to see your estimated benefits at different claiming ages. It will show you exactly how much you'd get at 63 vs your FRA vs age 70. This can help you make a more informed decision based on your actual numbers rather than general percentages. The account also shows your complete earnings history so you can verify that your 37 years of work are properly recorded. Good luck with your decision!

Just wanted to share my recent timeline for anyone still waiting! I applied online at the end of February and got my approval notification through mySocialSecurity yesterday - exactly 19 days. The process was pretty smooth overall. A couple of things that might have helped: I applied about 10 weeks before my FRA (turning 67 in June), and I spent time beforehand making sure all my documents were ready to upload immediately. One thing I noticed that hasn't been mentioned much - the mySocialSecurity mobile app actually updated faster than the website for me. I got the approval notification on my phone about 6 hours before it showed up when I logged in on my computer. Not sure if that's always the case, but might be worth checking both if you're anxiously waiting like I was! Now just waiting for that first payment in July. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - it really helped manage my expectations during the waiting period.

Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here! I'm 65 and planning to apply in the next few weeks, so this thread has been incredibly valuable. The consensus seems to be that 2-4 weeks is typical for processing, with some variation based on workload and any documentation issues. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about checking my earnings record first and having all documents ready before starting the application. The tip about the mobile app updating faster than the website is something I never would have thought of - thanks for sharing that! One question I haven't seen addressed: for those who received approval, did you get any kind of email notification, or did you only find out by checking your mySocialSecurity account? I want to make sure I'm not missing any communications while I'm waiting.

So glad you were able to get this resolved! It's frustrating that the system flagged your payment because of the previous fraud incident - you'd think they'd have better ways to verify without causing stress to beneficiaries who are already victims. The separate bank account idea is brilliant too. Thanks for updating us on what happened - this thread will be really helpful for others who run into similar issues.

This whole situation highlights a major problem with SSA's fraud prevention system - it seems like once you've been a victim of fraud, you're more likely to have future payments flagged and delayed. It's almost like they're punishing you for being victimized in the first place! I'm glad you got it sorted out with the Claimyr service, but it shouldn't take a third-party service to get basic answers about your own benefits. The fact that they can flag payments for "verification" without any notification to the beneficiary is really concerning, especially for people who depend on that money for basic living expenses.

This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who's currently 63 and planning my own retirement strategy, I'm learning so much from everyone's experiences. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the importance of checking your Social Security statement for accuracy well before you plan to retire. I discovered last year that several years of my earnings from the early 2000s weren't properly recorded - apparently my employer had reported my name slightly differently on their W-2s. It took about 6 months to get it all straightened out with documentation from my old pay stubs and tax returns. If I had waited until I was ready to apply for benefits, it could have delayed my application significantly. So I'd recommend pulling your Social Security statement now and reviewing every year of earnings to make sure everything looks correct. If you spot any discrepancies, start the correction process early while you have time to gather the necessary paperwork without stress!

This has been such a comprehensive and helpful discussion! As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by the depth of knowledge everyone is sharing. I'm currently 58 and starting to think seriously about my own retirement timeline, and reading through all these responses has given me so many things to consider that I never would have thought of on my own. The point about separating work cessation from Social Security claiming is particularly eye-opening - I always assumed they had to happen at the same time. And all the practical advice about Medicare enrollment, checking earnings records early, organizing finances during transition periods, and even tax planning opportunities is incredibly valuable. It's clear that successful retirement planning involves so much more than just deciding when to stop working. Thank you all for creating such an informative resource for those of us navigating these important decisions!