Tell her to get a benefit verification letter from her online my Social Security account first. She'll need that when applying for the spousal portion. Also, if she does qualify for a spousal top-up, they might owe her back pay from when her husband filed, but only if she applies within 6 months of his filing date.

Just wanted to add one more thing that might help your sister-in-law - when she does get through to SSA, she should ask them to run what's called a "dual entitlement" calculation. This will show her exactly what she's eligible for under both her own SSDI record and as a spouse on her husband's record. Also, if the first agent she speaks with seems unsure about the rules for disabled spouses, don't be afraid to politely ask to speak with someone else or call back. The rules around SSDI + spousal benefits are more complex and not all front-line agents are familiar with them. I've found that being specific about what you're asking for ("dual entitlement calculation for a disabled spouse") helps get you connected to someone who knows the process. Good luck to her - hope she's able to get some additional benefits!

Update: I finally got through to SSA this morning! I took the advice about calling right when they open (7 AM in my time zone) and only waited about 20 minutes. The representative confirmed I'm not too late for January benefits and helped me submit my application. She did transfer me to a specialist for my WEP/GPO questions, and I learned my survivor benefit will be reduced by about $570 due to my husband's government pension. Not great news, but at least I know what to expect now. Thank you all for your help and suggestions! What a relief to have this submitted finally.

Congratulations on getting through, Laura! That's such a relief after all the frustration you've been dealing with. The early morning call strategy really does work - I've had success with that approach too. Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this thread: if you're dealing with WEP/GPO calculations, it's worth double-checking the math when you get your award letter. The government pension offset can be complex, especially when there are multiple pension sources or if the pension amount changes over time. Also, keep copies of everything related to your husband's pension records - SSA sometimes requests additional documentation months later to verify the offset calculations. Having it ready can save you from delays in your payments. Great job persisting through this process! January will be here before you know it.

I'm so sorry this happened to you! I went through something very similar last year when applying for my own retirement benefits. Had a scheduled appointment, got all the confirmations, and then... nothing. Complete radio silence from SSA. What I learned from that frustrating experience is that you absolutely cannot wait for them to reach out to you. The system is so backlogged and understaffed that missed appointments just get lost in the shuffle unless YOU follow up aggressively. Here's what worked for me: - Called the 1-800 number at exactly 8:00 AM (set an alarm!) - Had all my confirmation numbers ready to read off - Specifically said "SSA failed to conduct my scheduled appointment" rather than just asking to reschedule - Asked for a supervisor when the first rep tried to put me at the back of the regular queue The whole process took about 6 weeks longer than it should have, but I did eventually get everything sorted out. The key is being persistent and not letting them treat this like it was your fault for "missing" the appointment. Your spousal benefits definitely won't process without that appointment - they need to do the calculations and paperwork even though they already know you're married from Medicare. Don't let anyone tell you it might happen automatically, because it won't. Good luck tomorrow morning! Let us know how it goes.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Had a scheduled phone appointment for my retirement benefits application last Friday - got the text confirmation, email, AND a mailed letter. They even called Thursday night with an automated reminder. Friday comes and... nothing. No call, no explanation, no follow-up. It's been 5 days now and I've tried calling back twice but keep getting the "all circuits are busy" message. This thread is really helpful because I was starting to wonder if I somehow missed the call or if my phone was acting up. Clearly this is a widespread problem with their system. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like I need to stop waiting around and be much more aggressive about following up. I'm going to try calling first thing Monday morning at 8 AM sharp with all my confirmation numbers ready. It's really frustrating that we have to chase them down when THEY missed the appointment they scheduled. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - at least now I know this isn't just happening to me!

Welcome to the community! I'm also relatively new here but have been learning so much from everyone's experiences. Your situation sounds really well thought out - it's great that you're planning ahead like this. One thing I wanted to mention that I don't think has been covered yet is the timing of when benefits get calculated. Since your ex-husband passed away at 63 before collecting, his survivor benefit will be based on what his benefit would have been at his Full Retirement Age, not reduced for early claiming. This could actually work in your favor compared to if he had started collecting early. Also, I've seen several people mention keeping good records, and I can't stress this enough. Even though it's been years since your divorce, try to track down not just your marriage certificate, but also your divorce decree. SSA will want to see both documents to verify the length of your marriage and that you meet all the requirements. The fact that you have potentially two different survivor benefit options really does give you a lot of financial security planning opportunities that many people don't have. Best of luck with everything!

As someone who's dealt with Social Security benefits for years, I wanted to emphasize something that's been touched on but bears repeating - documentation is absolutely crucial for divorced spouse survivor benefits. SSA tends to scrutinize these claims more heavily than regular survivor benefits. Beyond the marriage certificate and divorce decree that others mentioned, also gather any documentation showing your ex-husband's full name, Social Security number, and date of death if you have access to it. If you don't have his SSN, his full name and date of birth should be sufficient for SSA to locate his record. One more strategic point: since you're 58 and planning ahead, consider that if you do become widowed from your current marriage before age 60, you might want to consult with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security claiming strategies. The timing of when you claim survivor benefits versus your own retirement benefit can have significant long-term financial implications, and the "optimal" strategy depends on your specific financial situation and the benefit amounts involved. You're really smart to be thinking through all these scenarios now while you have time to prepare!

This whole thread is making me nervous... I'm turning FRA next month and planned to do exactly what the original poster described (take ex-spouse benefits now, switch to mine at 70). Now I'm worried! I was born in 1953 though, so maybe I'm still ok? Does anyone know for sure?

As someone new to navigating Social Security, this thread has been incredibly educational! It's concerning how much misinformation gets passed around, even from SSA representatives themselves. For anyone else reading this who might be confused: the key takeaway seems to be that the restricted application strategy (taking spousal/ex-spousal benefits while letting your own grow) is ONLY available if you were born on or before January 1, 1954. If you were born after that date, you're subject to "deemed filing" - meaning you automatically get the higher of your two benefits, not both sequentially. Katherine, I'm glad you called back and got the correct information! It's a good reminder that when it comes to something this important financially, it's always worth getting a second opinion from SSA directly. The difference between getting this right vs wrong could literally be tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. Does anyone know if there's an official SSA publication that clearly explains these birth date cutoffs? It seems like having that documentation handy would help avoid confusion with representatives who might not be up to date on the rules.