My mom gets both SSDI and SSI and they're always messing up her payments. One thing to check - did they count your SSDI as earned income instead of unearned? That happened to us once and it completely threw off the calculation. Also make sure they're using the correct federal benefit rate for a couple vs individual if you're both on benefits.

when did ur wife's ssi stop? sometimes there's a delay in how they process everything and they might have just suspended it temporarily while they recalculate. my benefits got suspended for 2 months then came back at a lower amount without any explanation

Update for everyone in this thread: SSA just published clarification on this issue last week. While in-office work is increasing for SSA employees, the official policy continues to offer claimants the choice of hearing format. However, if there are technical issues with remote hearings (poor connection, etc.), they may require in-person. The most important factor remains the ALJ's discretion, so strong medical documentation supporting your need for a telephone hearing is essential. Here's what to do: 1. Have your doctor document specific medical reasons why travel would be harmful 2. Submit this through your attorney as a formal accommodation request 3. Follow up in writing (not just verbally) 4. If denied, request reconsideration with additional medical support Most reasonable requests with proper documentation are being approved.

Just wanted to follow up - did you get this resolved? What did your attorney say?

just curious, have u checked if ur eligible for any benefits from ur first husband based on ur marriage length? i think it was over 10 yrs so that might matter??

Thank you all so much for your helpful responses. I called my local SSA office and after waiting for hours (literally), I finally gave up. I'm going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned above to actually talk to a representative. What I'm gathering is that I'm permanently out of luck for my first husband's survivor benefits because of remarrying before 60, which nobody ever told me about. And if my current husband passes away, I'd get the larger of either my current benefit or his survivor benefit (which isn't much since he took early retirement). This whole system feels so unfair sometimes, but at least I understand it better now. Thanks again everyone.

my dad died when i was 16 and my mom got survivors benefits for me until i graduated high school but she never took any for herself because she was working. now shes 61 and still working but struggling with bills. can she still claim his survivors benefits even tho its been 10 years since he died?? anyone know??

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I feel much more confident now about my options. Based on your advice, I think my best strategy is to: 1. Take my own reduced retirement benefit at 63 (next month) 2. Continue working part-time, knowing some benefits might be withheld due to the earnings test 3. Switch to the full survivor benefit when I reach my FRA at 67 4. Make sure to contact SSA a few months before my FRA to initiate the switch I'm going to try to reach SSA this week to confirm the exact amount of my husband's PIA so I can better calculate what my survivor benefit will be at FRA. I'll also ask them to run different scenarios to make sure this is truly the best approach for my situation. This has been so confusing but you've all been extremely helpful. I really appreciate it!

my mom gets ssdi and she gardens sometimes but not like everyday cuz it hurts. nobody ever said anything about it. i think ur ok

Wait, so they DON'T automatically investigate everyone?? Because I've been terrified to even go to the grocery store since I applied! I've had neighbors offer to get my mail because I'm afraid of being seen walking to the mailbox!! This whole process is so confusing and stressful!

Does anyone know how long these ex-spouse applications typically take to process? I'm worried that even after my March appointment it'll be months before I see any change in my benefit amount.

this whole WEP/GPO stuff makes my head spin! feels like they purposely make it complicated so we don't get all the benefits we deserve :

did u try the ssa.gov website?? way easier than callng them

Since you mentioned you're currently receiving survivor benefits and will be switching to your own higher retirement benefit, there's something important you should know. If you apply for your retirement benefit now at 62, it will be permanently reduced. However, if you're already getting survivor benefits, you might want to consider a different approach. You could keep taking the survivor benefit now and delay applying for your own retirement until later - even up to age 70 if possible. This would allow your own retirement benefit to grow with delayed retirement credits. Then you could switch to your own (now larger) benefit. This strategy often maximizes lifetime benefits in your situation. I'd strongly recommend speaking with an SSA representative about your specific scenario before making a decision, as the optimal claiming strategy can be complicated when both survivor and retirement benefits are involved.

When my sister applied last year, she got really confused about this too. She was sure she'd get more from her ex's record because he was some big shot executive. Turns out her own benefit was higher because she worked consistently for 35+ years while he had some gaps in his record. The SSA looks at your highest 35 years of earnings, so consistent work history can sometimes win out over a few high-earning years.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm feeling much better now understanding that they likely did check both calculations already. I'll still call to verify (and try that Claimyr service someone mentioned since the wait times sound awful), but it makes sense that my own benefit might be higher even though my ex-husband earned more during his career. I've worked consistently for almost 40 years, so maybe that's why my own benefit ended up higher. The formula explanations really helped me understand how it all works. I'll update once I talk to SSA just in case it helps someone else with the same question!

OMG I just remembered my sister works for a disability lawyer and she said its not therapy they care about, its if you dont go to your regular doctor appointments at all. If you have zero medical records for a long time they might think ur better and working! So ur brother should at least keep seeing his main doctor even if he skips the therapy

After reading through all the comments, I want to clarify the most important points: 1. SSA's "failure to follow prescribed treatment" rule rarely applies to complementary therapies like pain management 2. This rule is most commonly applied in cases like refusing surgery that would clearly restore function, refusing medication for controllable conditions like seizures or diabetes, or refusing psychiatric treatment for severe mental illness 3. For degenerative disc disease, which is generally progressive and permanent, they're mainly checking if the condition still meets disability criteria during reviews 4. Maintaining regular medical care to document ongoing disability is much more important than doing every recommended therapy 5. If asked about declined therapy during a review, having a reasoned explanation is helpful Hope this helps put your mind at ease about your brother's situation.

I just want to add that when my statement came this year, the amounts WERE higher than last year because of the COLA. So I can confirm from personal experience that yes, they do increase while you wait!

question - does anyone know if its different if ur spouse was already getting disability before they passed? thats my situation