As someone who works with disability claims, I want to emphasize that your sister should also be prepared for the appeals process if needed. Initial SSDI applications are denied about 65% of the time, even for legitimate claims. If she gets denied initially, don't give up! The reconsideration and hearing levels have much higher approval rates. Keep all her medical records organized and make sure her doctors are documenting how her rheumatoid arthritis specifically prevents her from performing her nursing duties. The key is showing she cannot do her past work AND cannot adjust to other work given her age, education, and limitations. With 35+ years of work history and a solid medical condition like severe RA, she has a strong case - just be patient with the process.

Just want to add that your sister should also consider whether she has any private disability insurance through her nursing job that she might need to coordinate with SSDI. Some employer policies require you to apply for Social Security disability and will offset their payments accordingly. Also, if she's been paying into a state disability program, she should check if that affects her SSDI eligibility or timing. It's worth reviewing all her insurance policies before the SSDI approval comes through to make sure she's maximizing all available benefits and understands any coordination requirements.

Here's a simplified explanation of your situation: 1. January-May 2025 (before FRA): Higher annual earnings limit applies (approximately $60,000 adjusted for 2025 COLA) 2. June 2025 and beyond (FRA attained): No earnings limits whatsoever The monthly earnings limit only applies in a non-FRA year when you have a "grace year" - the first year you retire and claim benefits mid-year. This is often confused with FRA rules. For official verification, see SSA's page on Special Earnings Limit Rule: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/rule.html

Just wanted to add one more important point that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand how the earnings test calculation works in practice. SSA looks at your ANNUAL earnings for the months before FRA, but they deduct benefits on a monthly basis if you exceed the limit. So if you earn $70,000 from January through May 2025 (exceeding the ~$60K limit), they'll withhold $1 for every $3 over the limit, but they spread that withholding across the remaining months of the year. It's not like they take a lump sum - they adjust your monthly benefit payments. This might affect your cash flow planning even though you'll be within your rights to earn that much.

This happened to my sister too! The award letter eventually came and showed that SSA had paid the LTD company directly for the offset (only the SSDI portion, not the full LTD amount). Don't forget that SSDI also has that stupid 5-month waiting period where you don't get any benefits at the beginning of your disability period.

UPDATE??? did u ever get this figured out? I'm curious what happened with all the money!

One additional point regarding your question about claiming at 65 - remember that your Medicare enrollment starts at 65 regardless of your Social Security Full Retirement Age. So even if you delay Social Security benefits, you should still sign up for Medicare during your Initial Enrollment Period (which begins 3 months before your 65th birthday). Missing this window can result in permanent premium penalties. This is a common source of confusion since the Full Retirement Age for Social Security and Medicare eligibility age are different.

I'm also approaching retirement and have been dealing with similar SSA website issues. One thing that helped me was clearing my browser cache and cookies completely before trying to log in again. Also, if you're using a saved password, try typing it manually - sometimes autofill doesn't work properly with their site. Another tip: try accessing the site early in the morning (like 6-7 AM) when traffic is lighter. I was able to get in much easier during off-peak hours. Good luck with your retirement planning!

I wanted to add one more perspective as someone who works with retirement benefit planning. While everyone has covered the immediate Social Security implications well, there's another consideration worth mentioning - if you're planning to use 20% of the QDRO distribution for medical expenses, you might want to consider whether those qualify for a Health Savings Account (HSA) if you have one, or if paying them directly from the distribution affects your overall tax strategy. Also, since you mentioned health issues led to your early retirement, you might want to look into whether you qualify for any state disability programs or other benefits that could supplement your reduced Social Security payments. Sometimes there are resources available that people don't know about, especially for those who fall into that gap where they can't work their previous job but don't qualify for federal disability. The community has given you excellent advice about the QDRO reporting requirements. Just wanted to make sure you're exploring all your options to maximize your financial security during this challenging time.

As someone who recently joined this community, I've been following this thread with great interest since I'm approaching 62 myself and trying to understand all the complexities around early retirement and Social Security. @Amara Okafor, it sounds like you've received excellent comprehensive advice here! The clarification that QDRO distributions don't count toward the earnings test but do affect tax calculations on your SS benefits is really helpful to understand. I wanted to add one small point that I learned from my own research - when you do file your taxes next year, make sure your tax preparer understands the timing of when you received the QDRO distribution versus when you started collecting Social Security. Sometimes the interaction between these different income streams can be tricky to calculate correctly, especially if they happened in the same tax year. Also, I noticed several people mentioned the importance of calling SSA directly for official confirmation. While the Claimyr service someone mentioned sounds helpful for getting through faster, you might also try calling very early in the morning (right when they open) or late in the afternoon - I've had better luck with shorter wait times during those hours. Best of luck with everything, and thank you to everyone who contributed such detailed explanations. This community is such a valuable resource!