Thank you all for the helpful information! It seems clear that my ex-wife has no claim to benefits on my record as long as she remains married. That's a relief to know. My current wife and I are satisfied with our benefit decisions, even though she's receiving a reduced amount by claiming early. One follow-up question - if my ex-wife's current marriage ends and she then claims on my record when she's eligible, would I be notified by SSA? Or would that happen without my knowledge?

Just wanted to add some clarity on the timing aspects since I see some questions about this. Your ex-wife would need to wait until she's at least 62 to claim any ex-spouse benefits (assuming she becomes eligible by being unmarried at that time). Since she's currently 55, that's still 7 years away. Also, regarding notification - you're correct that SSA won't notify you if she ever does file. This is standard practice to protect privacy. The system is designed so that ex-spouse claims are completely separate from your benefits and don't require any input or awareness from you. One small correction to an earlier comment - the 10-year marriage requirement is measured from the date of marriage to the date the divorce was finalized, not just separated. Since you mentioned 19 years of marriage, that requirement is definitely met if the situation ever changes.

I can definitely relate to your anxiety about this! I had my SSA interview about 8 months ago and they asked me similar questions about my ex-husband, including details about his siblings and even what street we lived on 18 years ago. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't remember most of it, especially since the agent kept pressing me for more details. But here's what helped calm my nerves - I called the SSA office a few weeks later to check on my application status, and the representative I spoke with actually explained that these verification questions are completely routine. She told me they ask them for every applicant with previous marriages because they need to document relationship history for their records, but they don't expect perfect memory recall. My benefits were approved without any issues, even though I probably answered "I don't remember" to at least half their questions about my ex. The key thing that worked in my favor (and yours too) was being completely honest about what I didn't know rather than trying to guess or make something up. Since you have your divorce decree and remembered the important stuff like your marriage date, you should be fine. Try not to stress too much - you handled it exactly right by being truthful!

I'm going through my SSA application process right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been dreading my interview because I know they're going to ask about my ex-husband from 14 years ago, and honestly I can barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, let alone specific details about someone I haven't spoken to in over a decade. Reading all these experiences where people forgot similar details but still got approved is really reassuring. It sounds like the key takeaway is to be honest about what you don't remember rather than guessing, and to have whatever documentation you can find (like divorce decrees). @Dyllan, I think you handled your interview perfectly by being truthful. The fact that so many people here have shared nearly identical experiences with successful outcomes should definitely put your mind at ease. Thanks to everyone for sharing - this is exactly the kind of real-world insight that's impossible to find in official SSA guides!

I'm going through something similar right now - applied in mid-February and it's been radio silence since then. The lack of communication is honestly the most stressful part. I keep checking the website hoping for ANY update but nothing changes. It's good to see from everyone's experiences that this seems to be normal, even though it's frustrating. I'm trying to stay patient but it's hard when you're planning your finances around this income. Thanks for posting this question - it's reassuring to know others are dealing with the same waiting game!

I'm in a very similar situation - filed my Social Security retirement application in late January and haven't heard a peep since then! Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and frustrating. It sounds like 6-10 weeks is pretty typical right now, which puts me right in that timeframe. The lack of communication really is the worst part - you start wondering if your application got lost or if there's some issue you don't know about. I think I'm going to take the advice about calling them soon to at least verify they have everything they need. It's wild that in 2025 we still have such an outdated system for something so important. Thanks to everyone sharing their timelines - it helps to know this radio silence is unfortunately normal!

I'm currently going through the exact same process - turning 67 next month and planning to file for both my own retirement benefits and divorced spouse benefits. After reading all these responses, I'm definitely leaning toward the phone route now, especially after learning about services like Claimyr that can help avoid the long hold times. One thing I wanted to add that might be helpful - I called SSA last week just to ask some preliminary questions, and the representative mentioned that they can actually do a "benefit estimate" over the phone to help you understand what you'd receive from each option before you formally apply. This might be worth doing first so you know whether the divorced spouse benefit would actually increase your monthly payment. Also, regarding the marriage certificate - I was in the same boat and couldn't find mine after 20+ years. I was able to order a certified copy online from the county clerk's office where we got married for about $15, and it arrived in less than a week. Much easier than I expected! Good luck with your application process!

I'm in a very similar situation - just turned 67 last month and was married to my ex-husband for 15 years. After reading through all these responses, I decided to go with the phone route and it worked out really well! A few things that might help you: 1) I used Claimyr to avoid the hold time - totally worth the small fee! Got connected to an SSA rep in about 20 minutes instead of waiting hours. 2) The rep was able to do a quick benefit estimate right on the call. Turns out my ex's benefit was high enough that I'll get about $200 more per month than just my own benefit alone. 3) They started my application over the phone and gave me a protective filing date, then mailed me forms to complete and return with my documents. This felt much less stressful than trying to do everything online. 4) The rep specifically told me that divorced spouse benefits are one of the most error-prone applications when done online because people often misunderstand the questions or enter dates incorrectly. One tip - even if you don't have your ex's SSN, they can still process your claim. I only had his name and approximate birth year, and they found his record just fine. The whole process took about 45 minutes on the phone and now I'm just waiting for my first payment next month. Much smoother than I expected!

This is incredibly helpful information! I had no idea there were so many different layers of protection available. I think I'll start with just the Electronic Access Block since I already have my credit frozen. Really appreciate everyone's advice here!

Just wanted to add another security tip that's worked well for me - consider setting up account alerts with the Social Security Administration if you do keep online access, or make sure to regularly check your Social Security Statement (Form SSA-1099) when it comes in the mail each year. I caught a discrepancy in my earnings record this way that turned out to be someone using my SSN for employment. Even with all these blocks in place, it's still good to periodically verify that your actual benefits and earnings history look correct. The earlier you catch these issues, the easier they are to resolve!