sorry about ur dad :( my mom had to deal with this last year and the funeral home actually helped her fill out the paperwork for the death benefit! maybe ask if yours can help too?

DONT WAIT TOO LONG to apply!! You only have 2 years from the date of death to claim the lump sum death benefit!! Ask me how I know... missed out because I waited too long dealing with everything else after my husband passed.

One final recommendation - when you speak with SSA, ask specifically about the

Thank you for this detailed advice. I'll definitely ask about that calculator and make sure I understand how they're determining my benefit amount. I really appreciate everyone's help - I was completely in the dark about possibly being eligible for any survivor benefits, and now I feel like I have a clear action plan!

Update: I finally got through to SSA! It turns out my ex-husband's benefit was $3,280, which is more than my current $2,750. They're processing the switch now and said I'll get the difference added to my monthly payments going forward. That's an extra $530 per month I wasn't expecting! Thank you all for the advice.

my neighbors ex died too and she got his benefits and bought a new car with the backpay lol

Just want to agree with the comments above saying each year over 20 reduces the WEP penalty by 5%. My husband's situation was almost identical to yours - teacher pension then work under Social Security. Make SURE you keep proof of your earnings each year, especially for years you're right around the substantial earnings threshold. The SSA made a mistake on one of my husband's years and it took months to fix.

has anyone here had luck getting wep completely eliminated? my neighbor said after 30 yrs of work under SS they removed his wep completely?

One more important thing - make sure you specifically mention that you're applying under Section 202(b)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act for parent's benefits while caring for a disabled adult child. Many SSA reps are more familiar with the rules for caring for minor children (under 16) and don't realize the special provisions for disabled adult children. Also, be prepared for them to ask about the "exercise parental control and responsibility" requirement. For adult disabled children, this means you supervise their daily activities and make major decisions about their care, not necessarily that you provide physical care. That's often a sticking point in these cases. And definitely try to get an in-person appointment if possible. These complex cases are handled much better face-to-face where you can share documents directly.

UPDATE: I finally got through to an SSA Technical Expert this morning! Used the Claimyr service that was suggested here and it worked great - I was connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. Once I specifically asked for a Technical Expert who handles disabled adult child cases and mentioned Section 202(b)(1)(B), they transferred me to someone who knew exactly what I was talking about. She confirmed I'm eligible for the CIC benefits and scheduled me for an in-person appointment next week to complete the application. She said to bring: - My ID and Social Security card - Marriage certificate - Documentation of my caregiving (doctor's letter) - My son's medical records (though she said they likely already have them) Thank you all for your help! I'll update again after my appointment.

my sister got backpay for 3 monts when she retired last yr but she had to ask for it specially. they dont tell u about this stuff on purpose!!!

Everyone keeps talking about "reduced benefits" before FRA but no one mentioned exactly HOW reduced. For someone with an FRA of 66 and 8 months, taking benefits just 4 months early (in May instead of September) would result in a reduction of about 2.2% from your full benefit amount. That's PERMANENT - meaning for the rest of your life, your benefit would be 97.8% of what it could have been. Whether that trade-off is worth it depends on your financial situation. Just something to consider!

Looking at your age, you should also ask about the restricted application strategy. Since you were born before January 2, 1954, you might be eligible to file a restricted application for survivor benefits while letting your own retirement benefit grow until 70. This can result in significantly higher lifetime benefits. This option isn't available to people born later, so it's an important strategy to discuss if it applies to your birth date.

My mom just did this last month! The thing that saved her was having a folder with multiple copies of everything. They ended up keeping some originals (gave her receipts) and making copies of others. Also bring any name change documents if your name on your birth certificate is different from your current name. Good luck!!

my cousin had this problem last year he just didnt report his extra income and everything was fine lol

I went through the same confusion last year! Also totally unrelated but does anyone know if the earnings limit changes if you're on widow benefits instead of retirement? My sister is dealing with that now after losing her husband.

what about that first phone number he called from? has anyone tried googling it??

After seeing your updates, I'm convinced this was a scam attempt. Here's what likely happened: 1. The scammer somehow obtained partial information about your application (could be from data breaches or public records) 2. They're laying groundwork for a more elaborate scam where they'll eventually try to get your personal information or redirect your benefits 3. The lack of identity verification is the biggest red flag - genuine SSA representatives are required to verify identity You're making the right move by contacting SSA directly. When you do, be sure to: - Report this suspicious call with all details (both phone numbers) - Verify your current application status and start date - Consider adding an extra security step to your mySocialSecurity account if available - Confirm no unauthorized changes have been made Glad you were cautious enough to question this!

You're understanding the situation correctly now. To summarize where things stand for you: 1. Your SS retirement benefit will be calculated using only your retail job earnings where you paid SS taxes 2. The benefit will now use the regular formula (no WEP reduction) 3. For spousal benefits: If 2/3 of your teacher pension ($3,200 × 2/3 = $2,133) exceeds 50% of your husband's benefit ($950 × 0.5 = $475), then yes, the GPO would eliminate any spousal benefits When you apply in March 2025, I recommend bringing documentation of both your covered and non-covered work to your appointment, as some SSA representatives are still getting familiar with how to properly implement the WEP elimination correctly.

There's no specific form to request regarding WEP elimination. The change in law should be automatically applied to your benefit calculation. However, it's always good to specifically mention to the representative that you understand the Windfall Elimination Provision has been eliminated and you want to make sure your benefit is calculated using the standard formula. If you create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov, you can check your earnings record to ensure all your covered employment (the retail job) is properly recorded before your appointment. This can prevent delays in processing your application.