Also just wanted to say... I'm sorry about his ex-wife's condition. Even though they're divorced, I know it can still be emotional when someone you shared that much life with is in hospice. Sending good thoughts to everyone involved.

I'm so sorry you're going through this difficult situation. From what I understand about SSA rules, your boyfriend should definitely be eligible for surviving divorced spouse benefits since they were married over 10 years and neither remarried. The good news is that at 77, he's well past full retirement age, so he could potentially receive up to 100% of her benefit amount if it's higher than his current payment. One thing I'd suggest is calling SSA now (before she passes) to get a clear understanding of the process and what documents he'll need. That way you can be prepared and won't have to navigate the bureaucracy during such an emotional time. They should be able to walk you through exactly what his benefits would look like based on both of their earnings records. My heart goes out to you both during this challenging time. Even divorced couples often maintain some connection after 20 years together, so I imagine this brings up a lot of complex feelings.

One more consideration: if you file for retirement now but later get approved for SSDI before reaching Full Retirement Age, you could switch to the higher SSDI benefit. This gives you income security now while preserving the option for a higher benefit if your disability claim succeeds. Given your medical conditions and limited work history since 2019, a new SSDI application might be worthwhile, especially with proper medical documentation.

Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a similar situation with a personal injury settlement and was worried about how it would affect my Social Security. The SSA representative I spoke with confirmed that settlement payments are NOT considered earned income for the earnings test, so you can collect retirement benefits without reduction due to that income. However, I'd strongly encourage you to consider the SSDI route that others mentioned. With your combination of physical and mental health conditions plus limited work history since 2019, you might have a much stronger case now than when you first applied. SSDI would give you your full benefit amount regardless of age, and if approved, you'd also get Medicare after 24 months. The worst they can do is deny you again, but the medical landscape and your documented work limitations have likely changed since your last application. Good luck with whatever path you choose!

Quick update based on what others have shared: There IS currently a processing issue affecting some direct deposits this month, per the SSA operations notice released yesterday. However, account lockouts due to phone number changes are a separate issue. When you speak with SSA, ask specifically about both: 1. The May 2025 direct deposit processing delay (reference notice AM-25411) 2. Your account access issue related to phone number change These will likely need to be handled by different departments, so be prepared to possibly speak with more than one person. If they try to only address one issue, politely insist on resolving both before ending the call.

I went through something very similar last year when I moved and forgot to update my phone number with SSA. My payment was delayed for almost 3 weeks! What saved me was going to my local office first thing in the morning with multiple forms of ID - they were able to verify my identity and unlock my account same day. Pro tip: If you do go in person, bring your Social Security card, driver's license, AND a recent bank statement or utility bill. The more documentation you have, the faster they can process your identity verification. Also, ask them to print out a receipt showing they've updated your contact info - sometimes the system doesn't sync properly between departments. The phone wait times are absolutely brutal right now, so if your local office isn't too far, that might be your best bet for getting this resolved quickly.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I think I'm going to go ahead and file now at 62 since we could use the extra income, and it sounds like it won't hurt my husband's benefits when he files at 67. I'm especially relieved about the survivor benefits situation. I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service to get through to SSA - I have a few more questions I'd like to ask them directly.

Just wanted to add one more consideration - have you looked into whether you might qualify for any other benefits while you're researching this? Sometimes people don't realize they might be eligible for things like Medicare Savings Programs or other state assistance that could help with those bills you mentioned. Also, since you're planning to file at 62, you might want to create a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can see your exact benefit estimates there and even apply online, which might be easier than trying to get through on the phone. The online application is pretty straightforward and you can save your progress if you need to gather documents. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I think everyone's overthinking this. You said half his benefit at 62 equals your full benefit at 67, right? So just take yours at 67, enjoy some travel, and when he hits 62 he can decide whether to claim or wait based on your situation then. You don't have to figure out everything now. Life changes, health changes, financial needs change. Just take it one step at a time.

As someone who navigated a similar age gap situation (my husband is 8 years younger), I completely understand your dilemma! We ultimately decided on a phased approach that worked well for us. I claimed at my FRA (67) which gave us a solid income foundation for our early retirement years together. The key insight for us was realizing that while maximizing benefits is important, having guaranteed income earlier allowed us to be more flexible with our other retirement accounts and gave us peace of mind during our most active travel years. One thing that really helped us was creating two different scenarios - one where we prioritized maximum benefits and another where we prioritized lifestyle goals. We mapped out the actual dollar differences and realized the "perfect" mathematical solution only worked if everything went exactly as planned. Real life rarely cooperates! Given your current good health and passion for travel, claiming at 67 seems like a reasonable middle ground. You'll have 4-5 years of benefits before your husband even reaches 62, which should fund quite a bit of travel. And if his earnings record is significantly higher than yours, having him delay claiming (even just to his FRA) could provide better long-term security for both of you.