Hey Mateo! I went through this exact same nightmare a few months ago. Here's what finally worked for me: I called the SSA main number (1-800-772-1213) early in the morning (like 8 AM sharp) and kept pressing 0 to get to a human. It took several tries, but I eventually got through to someone who walked me through the new verification process. They can do identity verification over the phone now using a series of questions about your credit history and past addresses. Also, make sure you have your most recent SSA statement handy - they'll ask for specific info from it. Don't give up! The system is messy right now but there are ways through it.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! It's been such a headache since they stopped using ID.me. I tried calling multiple times but kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Reading through these comments, I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy and see if I can get the phone verification process. Also thinking about reaching out to my congressperson's office like Giovanni suggested - didn't even know that was an option. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's helpful to know I'm not alone in this mess!

Welcome to this community! I'm new here but wanted to share what I learned when helping my sister navigate a similar situation. One thing that really helped her was getting a personalized benefit estimate from SSA that showed her projected benefits under different scenarios - claiming at 62 vs 67, her own record vs ex-spouse benefits, etc. You can request this through your mySocialSecurity account or by calling SSA directly. Also, since you mentioned financial struggles, you might want to look into whether you qualify for any state or local assistance programs for people in your age group - things like utility assistance, food programs, or even job training grants that could help you increase your current income while you're waiting to claim benefits. Every little bit helps when you're planning for the future!

Hi Amina! As someone who went through a similar divorce situation at 54, I wanted to add a few practical tips that helped me. First, definitely create that mySocialSecurity account everyone mentioned - it's a game-changer for planning. But also consider this: since you're 56 now, you might want to explore if there are any career re-entry programs in your area specifically for women returning to work after divorce. Many community colleges and workforce development centers offer these, sometimes with financial assistance. Also, if you haven't already, consider consulting with a fee-only financial planner who specializes in divorce recovery - they can help you create a comprehensive strategy that looks at all your options together, not just Social Security. The investment in professional advice often pays for itself in better decision-making. You've got 11 years to optimize your situation before full retirement age, which is actually a decent runway if you approach it strategically!

Thank you all for the helpful information! I tried calling SSA this morning but couldn't get through after waiting for over an hour. I'll try again tomorrow and might try that Claimyr service if I can't get through. I'm still working and have decent income, so I'm not worried about my own benefits, but it bothers me if he's getting something he's not entitled to. I'll update once I learn more about what's actually going on.

Just wanted to add some perspective from someone who works in benefits administration - this situation is actually more common than you might think. SSA processes millions of claims and sometimes errors do slip through, especially with complex eligibility rules like divorced spouse benefits. When you do get through to them, be prepared with specific information: your ex-husband's full name, approximate date he started receiving benefits, and the fact that he remarried before age 60 while still married. Also, don't be surprised if the first representative you speak with needs to transfer you to someone more specialized - divorced spouse benefit rules are tricky and not all front-line staff are fully trained on them. The good news is that once you report a potential issue, they take it seriously and will investigate thoroughly.

A final important tip: keep very good records of your earnings throughout the year. I recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track monthly income, and regularly check it against the annual limit. This makes it much easier when you need to communicate with SSA about your earnings and helps avoid surprises at tax time.

This is such valuable information! As someone who's been considering early retirement with my spouse, this thread has answered so many questions I didn't even know I had. The seasonal work approach sounds perfect for our situation too - we've been looking at summer work opportunities at national parks. It's reassuring to know that Social Security focuses on the annual total rather than monthly distribution. I'll definitely be bookmarking this discussion and setting up that tracking spreadsheet that Carter mentioned. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge!

One important thing to consider - you mentioned you're 66 now. Depending on your exact birth year, your Full Retirement Age might be 66 plus a few months. If you're not quite at your FRA yet, you might want to wait until then to apply for the survivor benefit to get the full 100%. Or if your own retirement benefit is significantly lower, you could apply for your own reduced retirement benefit now and then switch to the survivor benefit at your FRA. The SSA can calculate which strategy would give you the highest lifetime benefits.

Since you were born in 1956, your Full Retirement Age is indeed 66 and 4 months (July 2022 if you turned 66 in March). You're making a smart move by gathering all your documents first. Just a heads up - when you call SSA, they'll likely want to verify your deceased husband's Social Security number and his work history to confirm he earned enough credits for survivor benefits. If you don't have his SSN memorized, try to locate any old tax returns or documents that might have it. Also, be prepared for them to ask detailed questions about the marriage dates to verify the 9+ month requirement. Good luck with your call tomorrow!