has your husband looked into Extra Help for his Medicare costs? with his kidney disease and low income he might qualify. they could cover his premiums and maybe even the copays for his meds. my mom got on that program last year and it saved her over $200/month!

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's health struggles. As someone who works in benefits advocacy, I wanted to add a few things that might help your situation: 1. **Medicare Secondary Payer for ESRD**: Since your husband has kidney disease and you're still working with employer insurance, make sure Medicare is coordinating properly with your work coverage. This could reduce some out-of-pocket costs. 2. **State Kidney Programs**: Many states have kidney disease programs that provide additional financial assistance for dialysis patients. Contact your state's health department to see what's available. 3. **Medicaid Spend-Down**: Even though his income might be slightly above Medicaid limits, some states have "spend-down" programs where high medical expenses can qualify someone for Medicaid coverage of costs that Medicare doesn't cover. 4. **Contact your local Area Agency on Aging**: They often have benefits counselors who can do a complete review of all programs he might qualify for - sometimes there are programs people don't even know exist. The spousal benefits question is complex, but don't overlook these other potential sources of help while you're deciding on the Social Security strategy. Sometimes combining multiple smaller programs can provide significant relief.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I've decided to take those last few days of December off. My manager was understanding once I explained the situation. Going over by even a little bit sounds like it creates a huge headache. I'll save the extra hours for January when I have a fresh earnings limit to work with. Really appreciate all the insights!

Good call on taking the time off! I went through something similar a couple years ago and learned the hard way that SSA is very strict about the "when earned" rule. Even though it seems unfair that a January paycheck for December work counts against the previous year's limit, that's exactly how they calculate it. The peace of mind is worth more than those few extra hours of pay. Plus, you'll have that higher 2025 limit to work with starting in January. Better to be safe than deal with overpayment notices and benefit reductions later!

This is such a stressful situation but you're getting great advice here! I wanted to add that when my disabled son transitioned from SSI to DAC benefits on my husband's record, we discovered a few things that might help you prepare: 1. The interview will likely take 45-60 minutes, so block out plenty of time 2. They'll ask detailed questions about her daily living activities and work capacity, even though she's already been approved for SSI 3. Have her Social Security card, birth certificate, and current benefit letter handy 4. Write down questions beforehand because it's easy to forget important things during the call The transition ended up being worth it financially for us - my son went from $914/month SSI to $1,247/month on DAC benefits. The temporary Medicaid gap was stressful but we got it sorted out. Don't let the bureaucracy overwhelm you - advocate for your daughter and keep pushing for clear answers!

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! My husband is 63 and just filed for his Social Security, and we have a 27-year-old disabled son who's been on SSI since he was 19. We got the same letter and phone call from SSA about scheduling an interview. From what I've learned talking to our local SSA office, this is actually a good thing - they're checking if your daughter qualifies for higher benefits on your husband's work record. The interview is just to verify her disability status continues and to gather information for the benefit calculation. One thing that really helped me prepare was calling our daughter's current doctors ahead of time to let them know SSA might be contacting them. Some medical offices take forever to respond to SSA requests, so giving them a heads up can speed things up. Also, if you have any recent medical records or evaluations, have copies ready to fax if they ask. The waiting is nerve-wracking, but from everything I've read here and been told by SSA, this usually works out in the disabled adult child's favor financially. Hang in there - you're doing everything right by asking questions and preparing ahead of time!

tell him good luck!!! my aunt says to make sure he brings his doctors phone numbers and addresses to the application. they ask for ALL that stuff and it slows things down if you dont have it ready

I went through this exact situation with my husband two years ago when he developed ESRD. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned - make sure your brother keeps detailed records of his dialysis appointments and any work days he's missed due to treatment or complications. Even though ESRD is on the compassionate allowance list, having a clear paper trail showing how the treatment schedule interferes with normal work hours really strengthened our case. Also, his nephrologist should be willing to write a letter specifically stating that the dialysis schedule and associated fatigue make regular employment impossible - this was crucial for us. The whole process took about 6 weeks from application to approval, and having his employer's support during that time was invaluable. Wishing your brother the best with his treatment and application!

Definitely contact the SSA directly. I've found the SSA agents to be very knowledgeable and helpful once you actually get to speak with one. They'll need your husband's SSN and earnings history to give you an accurate estimate. Since it's been quite a while since his passing, having his SSN and death certificate information handy when you call will speed things up.

I'm in a similar situation - widow at 58 and trying to plan ahead. One thing I learned from my research is that you might also want to check if you're eligible for any divorced spouse benefits if you were married to anyone else for 10+ years before your husband. Sometimes people don't realize they have multiple options to consider. Also, when you do call SSA, ask them to run scenarios for you at different claiming ages (60, 62, your FRA, etc.) and get those numbers in writing if possible. I've heard stories of people getting different answers from different representatives, so having documentation helps. The representatives are usually very patient about explaining the calculations if you ask them to walk through it step by step. Good luck with getting through to them - the wait times can be brutal but it's worth it for accurate numbers for your planning!