Update: Just received my letter in the mail today explaining the COLA adjustment! It says my first increased payment will be on the 4th Wednesday of this month, and the lump sum for retroactive adjustments will come within 10 business days after that. Going to mark my calendar and stop worrying. Thanks everyone for the helpful info!

Just wanted to share my experience for anyone still waiting - I'm also on the 4th Wednesday payment schedule and haven't received mine yet, but after reading all these responses I'm feeling much more confident about the timeline. It's really helpful to see that the SSA website doesn't update right away and that the money often shows up before any letters. I've been checking my bank account obsessively but now I know to just wait for my regular payment date. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who provided the official schedule breakdown - this community is so valuable for getting real information when the official channels are hard to reach!

There's one possibility nobody mentioned. If you changed your name (like through marriage) during that time period and your employer reported your wages under your previous name, it might not have matched up properly in the system.

I work in payroll administration and see this issue fairly often. What likely happened is that your employer submitted your W-2 information to SSA with either a transposed digit in your SSN or a slight name variation that prevented the automated matching system from crediting the earnings to your record. The SSA rep can see the "unmatched" wage data in their system - it's there, but it's essentially in limbo because the computer couldn't definitively match it to your specific earnings record. This is why she could tell you the employers and earnings amount but it's not showing up in your official record. For $11K from 1999, honestly it's probably not worth the paperwork hassle unless you're close to retirement and every dollar counts. The indexed value of those earnings for benefit calculation purposes would be relatively small compared to your more recent work years. If you're curious about the exact process, you could always request a detailed earnings inquiry from SSA, but based on what you've described, this sounds like a classic case of employer reporting error that created an unmatched record.

Update your address with SSA if you've moved recently! I learned this the hard way - they were trying to send me documents about my earnings correction but had my old address. Almost delayed my whole case by months!

I went through something very similar about 3 years ago! Had 4 years of county government work that were showing as zeros even though I definitely paid into SS. The key thing that helped me was contacting the HR department of my old employer - they were able to provide a verification letter showing my employment dates and that FICA taxes were withheld. Even though it was from the early 90s, they still had the records in their system. For law enforcement positions, there's sometimes confusion because some departments participate in both SS and a pension system, while others opt out entirely. But since you remember seeing FICA deductions, you should definitely pursue this. The increase in my monthly benefit was about $180/month once they added those missing years, and I got backpay for almost 2 years. It's worth the hassle! Just be persistent with SSA - they move slowly but they will eventually get it right.

My sister had this exact problem last year and when she finally got through to someone at Social Security they told her it would be fixed "automatically" on the next payment but it wasn't! She had to call THREE more times! Just be persistent and keep calling until they fix it.

Just to add another important point - make sure you check both your AND your wife's benefits since you mentioned you're both on Medicare. Sometimes these errors can affect one account but not the other, especially if you enrolled at different times or have different IRMAA tiers. Also, if you do need to call SSA, have your Medicare card, recent Social Security statement, and the Medicare premium notice all ready before the call. The more prepared you are with documentation numbers, the faster they can help resolve the issue.

One important thing to understand about the SSDI process: the SSA has what they call the "sequential evaluation process" - five steps they use to determine disability: 1. Are you working above SGA level? ($1,550/month in 2025) 2. Is your condition "severe"? 3. Does your condition meet or equal a medical listing? 4. Can you do your past work? 5. Can you do any work in the national economy? Based on your description, they denied you at step 5 - they're saying despite your MS, they believe you can do some type of work. This is where you need to focus your appeal. For MS specifically, compile evidence related to: - Fatigue levels throughout the day (time-specific documentation) - Cognitive issues like memory problems, focus, concentration - Motor control difficulties - Vision problems if applicable - Need for rest periods throughout the day Demonstrate why these symptoms make even sedentary work impossible to sustain consistently.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the initial denial is soul-crushing when you're already struggling with your health. I went through something similar with my lupus diagnosis. Even though I had joint damage visible on X-rays and blood work showing active disease, they still denied me the first time. What really helped during my appeal was keeping a detailed symptom diary. I tracked not just my bad days, but HOW bad - like "couldn't get out of bed until 2pm due to fatigue" or "hands too stiff to type for more than 10 minutes." The specificity seemed to make a difference when I finally got to my hearing. Also, if your neurologist hasn't already, ask them to complete an RFC form (Residual Functional Capacity). It's different from a regular doctor's letter because it addresses specific work-related limitations like how long you can sit, stand, concentrate, etc. The judges seem to give these more weight than general "patient can't work" statements. Don't lose hope - the system is brutal but many of us do eventually get approved. You have a legitimate medical condition and a doctor supporting you. That's more than a lot of people have when they start this process.