Andre, I'm so glad you found the information you needed here! This thread has been incredibly educational - I had no idea about the disabled widow benefits available at age 50. It's really troubling how many SSA representatives seem unaware of these provisions, leaving people like you struggling unnecessarily for years. Your story is a perfect example of why it's so important to get multiple opinions and specifically ask about different benefit types. The fact that you were initially told to wait until 60 when you've been eligible since age 50 is just heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing your experience and please do update us after your appointment. Stories like yours help spread awareness about benefits that too many people don't know exist. I'm sure there are other community members who could benefit from this information. Wishing you a smooth application process and quick approval!

Andre, this is such wonderful news! I'm so happy you were able to get through to SSA and confirm your eligibility. This entire thread has been incredibly valuable - I had no idea about disabled widow benefits being available as early as age 50. It's really frustrating that you had to struggle for three years when you were eligible all along, but I'm glad you found the support and information you needed here. The community knowledge shared by everyone, especially about the specific terminology to use and services like Claimyr, seems to have made all the difference. Best of luck with your appointment next week! Make sure to bring copies of everything and don't hesitate to ask questions if anything seems unclear. Your persistence and willingness to advocate for yourself is inspiring, and I'm sure your experience will help other widows and widowers who might be in similar situations. Please keep us updated on how the application process goes!

WAIT!! There's something nobody mentioned - I think there's a LUMP SUM DEATH PAYMENT of $255 you should get regardless of the monthly benefit stuff. Don't forget to ask about that!!!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Natalia. Going through this while grieving is incredibly difficult. I went through a similar situation with my late ex-husband's benefits about 3 years ago. From my experience, the key thing to understand is that your survivor benefit will be based on what he was actually receiving (since he claimed early), but you can still maximize YOUR portion by waiting until your FRA at 67. Here's what helped me: I gathered all the documents first - death certificate, our marriage certificate, divorce decree, and his last SS statement if you have it. Then I made an appointment at my local SSA office rather than trying to call. The in-person visit was much more productive. One thing that surprised me was that they could run the calculations on the spot to show me exactly what I'd get if I claimed now versus waiting until my FRA. In my case, waiting made a significant difference because it avoided the early claiming reduction on the survivor benefit. Also, since you're already receiving your own benefits, they'll just pay you the difference if the survivor amount is higher. It's not like you get both - you get the higher of the two amounts. The whole process took about 6 weeks once I applied, so don't expect it to be immediate. But definitely get the ball rolling soon so you understand your options.

As someone who's been through this process, I wanted to add that you should also be aware of the timing considerations. If you're planning to claim ex-spouse benefits at your FRA (which sounds smart based on the advice here), make sure you apply about 3-4 months before you want your benefits to start. The application process can take some time, and you don't want any delays in receiving your first payment. Also, regarding finding out your benefit amount - in addition to calling SSA directly, you can create a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov. While it won't show your ex-spouse benefit estimate initially, once you're within a few months of eligibility, you can use their online benefit calculators and retirement estimator tools. Just another option to consider alongside calling them directly. The key takeaway from everyone's responses is that yes, there are caps, but they're based on the maximum possible Social Security benefit, not arbitrary limits. Your ex's wealth beyond his Social Security-covered earnings won't help you, but if he consistently maxed out his SS contributions, you could still receive a decent benefit at 50% of his PIA.

I went through this exact situation about 3 years ago! A few additional points that might help: First, when you do call SSA, ask them to run scenarios for claiming at different ages (62, FRA, 70) so you can see how the timing affects your benefit amount. The reduction for early claiming on ex-spouse benefits is permanent, so it's worth seeing the numbers. Second, keep in mind that if you're still working when you claim before FRA, the earnings test might reduce your benefits temporarily. But this doesn't apply once you reach FRA. One thing that surprised me was that SSA was actually very helpful and discreet about the whole process. The representative I spoke with explained everything clearly and assured me multiple times that my ex would have no knowledge of my inquiry or eventual claim. It really put my mind at ease about the privacy aspect. Also, make sure to ask about Medicare coordination when you're getting close to 65, as that's a separate but related consideration for your overall retirement planning.

Just be careful with the working part - if ur under FRA and collecting ANY SS benefits there's an earnings limit. Think it's around $20k for 2025. If u earn more than that they take back $1 for every $2 over the limit. Once u hit FRA no more earnings limit.

One thing I'd add to the excellent advice here - since you're still working part-time, you might want to consider whether continuing to work and delay claiming survivor benefits until closer to your FRA could boost your own retirement benefit calculation. Each year you work (even part-time) can potentially replace lower-earning years in your benefit calculation, which could make that $1,850 projection at age 70 even higher. The SSA uses your highest 35 years of earnings, so if you have some low or zero years in your record, even modest part-time earnings now could help. You can create a my Social Security account online to see your current benefit estimates and earnings record.

Thanks everyone for all the great information! Based on everyone's advice, I'll plan to apply in February 2025 (4 months before my birthday) and specify June 2025 as my benefit start month. I'll make sure to have all my documents ready and save all confirmation screens. I'll try the online application first, but if I have trouble getting through on the phone for questions, I'll check out that Claimyr service. Really appreciate all the help!

You've got a solid plan there, Katherine! Just one additional tip - when you apply online in February, you might want to create your my Social Security account ahead of time if you don't already have one. It makes the application process smoother and you can check the status of your application online afterwards. Also, if you run into any issues during the online application, don't abandon it completely - you can save your progress and come back to it later. The system will hold your partially completed application for 30 days. Good luck with everything!