i dont understand why SSA dosent just SAY whats changed? like tell us exactly what the diffrence is now vs before. im affected by WEP not GPO but its all so confusing!!!!

Just an update - I called SSA this morning (was on hold for almost 2 hours!) and the agent confirmed they're seeing many GPO-affected people filing now. He said they're processing these applications faster than normal because of the increased volume. He also mentioned something about "protective filing dates" being important, though I didn't fully understand what that meant.

To answer your question about working after FRA - yes, once you reach your full retirement age of 67, you can collect your FULL Social Security retirement benefit with NO reduction regardless of how much you earn. There is no earnings test or penalty after FRA. Many people continue working while collecting their full benefits after reaching FRA. This can be a great strategy because: 1. You get your full benefit with no reductions 2. You might even continue increasing your benefit amount if your current earnings are higher than some of your previous years used in the calculation 3. You can contribute more to retirement accounts And to clarify the "deemed filing" question that came up - yes, for people born after 1/1/1954, if you file for one benefit, you're deemed to have filed for all benefits you're eligible for, and you'll receive whichever amount is higher.

My sister is in similar sitution and the SSA office told her that she shud apply ANYWAY even if everything gets withheld becuz it "establishes her filing date" for some technical reason.... something about widows benefits later?? i dont remember the details but maybe ask about that if u call them

My uncle works for SSA and he says ALWAYS bring original documents even if not asked because half the time their electronic verification fails and then your application sits in limbo for months.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm going to wait and see if SSA contacts me about needing the marriage certificate rather than making an appointment right away. I appreciate the clarification on how the spousal benefit calculation works too - that makes much more sense now. I'll update here if I run into any issues with the process in case it helps someone else in a similar situation.

Yes, most funeral homes will report the death to Social Security as part of their services. However, you should still follow up with SSA directly to ensure everything is handled correctly with her benefits. The funeral home reporting just starts the process, but doesn't take care of all the details regarding her benefits and final payments. To summarize what others have said correctly: 1. The payment received October 23rd was for September 2. The payment that would come November 23rd is for October (she should get this) 3. There will be no payment for November since she wasn't alive the entire month Also, be prepared that if you're handling her estate, you may be eligible for a one-time death benefit of $255 if you were her spouse or dependent child, but this has to be applied for separately.

hey dont 4get to ask about the death benefit! i think its like $255 or something. not much but its something!

When you get your back pay (fingers crossed it happens!), there's a provision in the tax code that might help. If you receive a lump sum payment for benefits that should have been paid in prior years, you can use something called the \

Thank you! I'll definitely look into this and talk to my tax person. I hadn't even thought about the tax implications until now - just been focused on getting the calculation fixed.

THE SSA WEBSITE IS SO CONFUSING!!! I spent hours trying to figure out the same thing last year and ended up just going to the office in person. They told me you're eligible the month of your birthday no matter what day it falls on. But I also heard they changed some rules recently so who knows???

Regarding your earlier question about switching from survivor benefits to your own retirement benefits at FRA - this can be a smart strategy in many cases. If your own benefit at FRA would be higher than the survivor benefit at FRA, you could take the reduced survivor benefit at 60 and then switch to your own at FRA. Alternatively, you could take your own reduced retirement at 62 and then switch to unreduced survivor benefits at your FRA. The optimal strategy depends on the relative amounts of each benefit. If you haven't already, I'd recommend requesting your Social Security Statement through your my Social Security account online to see your projected retirement benefit amounts.

I believe there's some confusion in the responses you're getting. Let me clarify based on SSA rules: 1. When a wage earner dies during the 5-month waiting period for SSDI, survivors don't have to serve the remainder of that waiting period. Benefits can begin the month of death. 2. For your brother as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC), benefits would typically start with the month of your father's death (January 2025). 3. There's a provision called "Deemed Filing Date" that might help in certain situations. If your father mentioned your brother's disability when he first applied in September 2024, there's a possibility this could be considered a protective filing date for your brother. 4. Request a detailed explanation in writing regarding the earliest possible entitlement date. Ask specifically about any protective filing provisions that might apply. 5. If your brother was receiving SSI, the rules for back payments get even more complex, as SSI payments may need to be repaid if retroactive SSDI is awarded. I recommend requesting a meeting with a Technical Expert at your local SSA office who specializes in disabled adult child benefits, not just speaking with the frontline representatives who may not be familiar with all the nuances.

One more important thing - if your brother was already receiving SSI (Supplemental Security Income) benefits on his own record, switching to the higher DAC benefits on your father's record will affect his Medicaid eligibility. There's a special provision called "Section 1634(c)" or the "DAC Medicaid protection" you should ask about to ensure he keeps Medicaid coverage even with the higher SSDI payment.

I've seen so many people struggle with getting accurate information about survivor benefits. When I was helping my sister with her claim, we spent DAYS trying to reach someone at SSA. When we finally connected with a representative using Claimyr (claimyr.com), they explained that different SSA agents sometimes give different answers to the same question! My advice is to speak with at least two different agents to verify the information. You need to be your own advocate here.

I forgot to mention!!! Make sure you ask them about any back benefits too. You might be eligible for retroactive survivor benefits for a few months. When I filed, they gave me benefits going back several months from when my ex passed away, even though I didn't apply right away. Not sure if that's always the case but worth asking!

Just to clarify some of the confusion in this thread: The SSA typically does not require a birth certificate for retirement benefits if you're already enrolled in Medicare, as your identity and birthdate have already been verified. However, there are exceptions that might trigger additional verification: 1. If there are data inconsistencies between systems 2. If your name has changed since your Medicare enrollment 3. If you're claiming benefits on someone else's record 4. If there are flags on your account for any reason For a standard age-70 retirement claim on your own record when already on Medicare, approximately 90% of applicants complete the process without needing to provide additional identity documents. The best approach is to apply 3 months before he wants benefits to begin, which gives time to resolve any unexpected document requests.

Another thing your brother should be aware of - when applying at age 70, make sure he specifically indicates he wants benefits to begin at age 70, not the current month of application. If he applies 2-3 months before turning 70 (which is recommended), the system will default to starting benefits immediately unless he specifies the later start date. This ensures he gets the maximum delayed retirement credits (DRCs) he's entitled to.

SSA IT specialist here. The current outage is due to scheduled maintenance that was supposed to complete by 6am EST but encountered some technical difficulties. Engineering teams are working to resolve the issues, and full service should be restored within the next 8-12 hours. Regarding your application timeline: The current processing time for retirement benefits is 75-90 days in most cases. Your online status may not update frequently during this period, but rest assured your application is still being processed even when the website is unavailable. If you have immediate concerns about your specific application, calling your local office with your confirmation number is your best option.

UPDATE: The website is working again this morning! I was able to log in and check my application status. It's still showing as "processing" but at least I can see it's in the system. Thanks everyone for your help and commiseration!