I'm a social worker who specializes in disability benefits and wanted to share one more crucial timing consideration that could save your family a lot of stress. When your dad files for Social Security retirement, there's often a 2-3 month processing delay before your brother's DAC benefits actually start being paid, even though he'll be entitled from your dad's benefit start date. During this gap period, your brother should continue receiving his full SSI payments since his DAC hasn't actually started yet. However, once the DAC benefits begin and SSI stops, there can be another delay before the Medicaid office processes the Section 1634(c) continuation. I've seen families go weeks or even months with Medicaid showing as "terminated" in the system while the continuation gets sorted out. During this time, pharmacies and doctors might show your brother as having no coverage. My recommendation: Contact your brother's pharmacy and key medical providers BEFORE this transition begins. Explain the situation and ask about their policies for covering prescriptions/services during benefit transitions. Many have hardship programs or will work with you if they know a Medicaid continuation is pending. Some will even accept a letter from you explaining the Section 1634(c) protection while the official Medicaid update is being processed. Also, if your brother takes expensive medications, ask his doctor about getting a 90-day supply filled right before the transition to avoid any gaps in medication access. Being proactive with healthcare providers has saved many families from dangerous interruptions in medical care during these transitions.

As someone who went through this exact transition with my adult son last year, I want to add one more critical piece of advice: get everything in writing BEFORE your dad files for retirement benefits. I made the mistake of relying on verbal assurances from SSA representatives, and when issues arose during the transition, different agents gave me completely contradictory information. What saved us was finally getting to a supervisor who provided written documentation of: 1. The exact DAC benefit amount my son would receive 2. The date SSI would terminate 3. Confirmation that he qualified for continued Medicaid under Section 1634(c) 4. A reference number for the case that I could use with future representatives I also discovered that some states have a "pre-application" process for the Medicaid continuation where you can submit paperwork before the DAC benefits actually start. This prevented any gap in coverage for us. Ask your state Medicaid office if they have this option. One last tip: if you encounter resistance from any agency (SSA, Medicaid, etc.), don't hesitate to escalate to supervisors or even contact your state legislators' constituent services offices. They often have staff who can cut through bureaucratic red tape when agencies aren't following federal requirements properly. Your brother is lucky to have such a thorough advocate! With all the preparation you're doing, this transition should go much smoother than most families experience.

I'm sorry for your loss, Sadie. Reading through this thread has been really educational - there's so much conflicting information out there about survivor benefits timing! It's great that you got direct clarification from SSA during your appointment. One thing I wanted to mention that I don't see covered here is that you might want to ask about potentially switching to your own retirement benefits later if they would be higher than your survivor benefits. Since you're 61 now, you could potentially file for your own reduced benefits at 62 and then switch strategies later. The SSA representative should be able to run some projections for you to see what makes the most sense long-term. Also, if you haven't already, consider reaching out to a local SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) counselor - they can help navigate Medicare decisions when you become eligible, especially since survivor benefits can affect those choices too.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Sadie. What a difficult time to have to navigate all these bureaucratic details. I went through something similar when my father passed, and the Social Security timing rules can be so confusing. It sounds like you got great clarity from your appointment - the key point being that since your husband already received his September payment before passing, your survivor benefits start with October (paid in November). I'm glad you asked about the $255 death benefit too. One small tip that helped me: if you haven't already, consider setting up a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov. Once your benefits start, you can track your payments, get benefit statements, and handle some routine business online without having to call. The phone lines can be brutal when you need to make changes later. Wishing you strength as you work through all of this.

As someone who went through this exact situation with my spouse, I can confirm what others have said - definitely keep the SSDI going until FRA! We made the mistake of overthinking it initially and almost considered having my husband switch to early retirement at 62 (thankfully we didn't). One thing I'd add to the great advice already given: when you do get to the point of potentially claiming spousal benefits for your husband, make sure SSA calculates it correctly. The spousal benefit is based on 50% of YOUR Primary Insurance Amount (not your actual benefit if you delay past FRA). So if you wait until 70 to claim, your benefit will be higher due to delayed retirement credits, but his potential spousal benefit is still calculated from your PIA at FRA. Also, since you mentioned you're almost 60, you might want to start thinking about whether you can afford to delay your own benefits. The extra years of delayed credits can really add up, especially as the higher earner. But I know that's easier said than done depending on your work situation!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in benefits administration (though not specifically for SSA). The advice you've received here is really solid, especially about not switching from SSDI to early retirement at 62. I see people make that mistake fairly often and it's heartbreaking because it can't be undone. One additional consideration for your planning: since you're the higher earner and likely to have survivor benefits implications down the road, maximizing YOUR benefit through delayed retirement credits becomes even more important. If something were to happen to you first, your husband would potentially be eligible for survivor benefits based on your record (including any delayed retirement credits you earned). Conversely, if he passes first, your survivor benefit would be based on his SSDI/retirement amount, which won't grow beyond FRA. I'd also suggest documenting everything when you do speak with SSA representatives. Get names, dates, and reference numbers for any advice given. The rules around SSDI transitions and spousal benefits can be complex, and having a paper trail helps if you get conflicting information from different agents. You're being smart to research this thoroughly ahead of time rather than making rushed decisions at 62!

my mom said back in the day COLA used to be way bigger like 5-8% every year... we really getting the short end now with these tiny increases while everything costs way more smh

This is really helpful information, everyone! I'm new to Social Security (just turned 62 and considering when to file) and had no idea about the timing confusion with COLA increases. It makes sense now why people get confused - when they say "January COLA" they really mean the January payment which is for December benefits. One question for the group: does the COLA apply the same way if you're receiving survivor benefits instead of retirement benefits? My neighbor mentioned she gets survivor benefits and wasn't sure if the timing was different. Thanks for all the explanations - this community is so knowledgeable!

Good luck with your plan, Santiago! Just want to add one more piece of advice from my experience - keep detailed records of ALL your earnings and when you actually earned them (not just when paid). I created a simple spreadsheet tracking each paycheck with the pay period dates, which saved me a huge headache when SSA questioned something later. Also, if you're doing any freelance or contract work in addition to regular employment, be extra careful about tracking those earnings too. The SSA counts ALL earned income toward the limit, not just your main job. And remember that if you do accidentally go over the limit slightly, it's not the end of the world thanks to that recalculation benefit that Mateo mentioned. You've got a solid plan - just document everything!

I went through something very similar last year! One thing that really helped me was contacting my HR department to see if they could adjust my work schedule for those last few months before FRA. Some employers are surprisingly flexible when you explain the Social Security earnings limit situation. In my case, I was able to reduce my hours from October-December to stay under the monthly limit, then ramp back up to full-time in January when I hit FRA. It meant a temporary income reduction, but it was worth it to avoid the benefit penalties. Also, don't forget that vacation time and sick leave that you get paid out might count toward the earnings limit too, depending on when it was actually earned. Check with HR about the timing of any payouts!