Can't reach Social Security Administration? Claimyr connects you to a live SSA agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the SSA
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the SSA drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
What state are you in? Some states have different rules about how their pensions interact with Social Security.
I'm in Texas. From what I understand, Texas TRS is definitely affected by GPO since we don't pay into Social Security while teaching here.
Based on the numbers you've shared, here's what your situation might look like: 1. Your TRS pension will be $3,750/month 2. Your survivor benefit is $2,280/month 3. Your own SS benefit would be about $840/month Under GPO, they would reduce your survivor benefit by $2,500 (2/3 of $3,750), which would eliminate your survivor benefit completely. However, your own SS benefit of $840 would be subject to WEP but not GPO. The WEP reduction is generally less severe than GPO and depends on your years of substantial earnings under Social Security. So your best option might be to take your TRS pension and your own reduced SS benefit rather than the survivor benefit. I'd recommend speaking with an SSA representative who can calculate the exact WEP reduction based on your work history.
Thank you for breaking down the numbers so clearly! That really helps me understand my options better. I'll definitely need to talk to SSA about the specific WEP reduction for my case, but at least now I have a better idea of what to expect and what questions to ask.
Join the conversation
Thank you all for the helpful information! I'm disappointed that I can't change my decision to file early, but at least I understand my situation better now. I'm going to look into whether any recent work I did might increase my benefit through recalculation. I'm also going to call SSA (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned because I've tried calling before and it's impossible to get through). I'll check about the earnings limit too since I might pick up some part-time work. I really appreciate everyone taking time to explain this to me. The FRA system is more complicated than I realized!
Dont forget to look at other benefits too! My mom got widows benefits that were higher than her own SS check after my dad passed. They automatically should give you the higher amount but sometimes they miss things.
That's good to know - I'm widowed actually, but my husband didn't work much in later years because of his disability. I'll definitely ask about that when I speak with them. Thanks for mentioning it!
Join the conversation
One other thing worth noting: the determination of whether you're exempt from WEP due to 30+ years of substantial earnings is made at the time you become eligible for Social Security benefits. So even if you leave your county job before vesting, those years of non-covered employment will still count as "zeros" in the substantial earnings calculation. This doesn't sound like it will affect you since you already have 36 substantial years, but it's an important nuance for others who might be close to the 30-year threshold. Each year of non-covered employment essentially "uses up" one of your potential substantial earnings years.
wait so ur saying even if he quits the county job before vesting he'd still have the same SS calculation? confused...
To clarify what the previous commenter said: Whether you vest in the pension or not doesn't affect your WEP calculation. What matters is whether you have 30+ years of substantial earnings under Social Security. Since you already have 36 years of substantial earnings, you're fully protected from WEP regardless of whether you vest in your county pension or not. Your Social Security benefits will be calculated using the regular formula, not the reduced WEP formula. Vesting only determines whether you get the county pension - it doesn't change how your Social Security is calculated. So you might as well stay and get that pension!
Thanks for clarifying! Based on all the feedback here, I'm definitely going to stay and vest in the county pension. It seems like there's no downside in my particular situation, and I'll be able to maximize our retirement income without hurting my wife's future benefits. I appreciate everyone's insights!
Join the conversation
I was in almost exactly your situation last year! I took retirement at 62, then got MUCH worse health-wise at 63. My doctor actually suggested I apply for SSDI since I had to stop working completely. The phone interview was mostly gathering info and was less stressful than I expected. The thing nobody told me was how LONG the whole process would take. It was almost 5 months from my phone interview until I got the decision letter. Then it took another month for the payment adjustment to actually happen. So be prepared to wait... a lot. Oh, and having all your medical records and doctor contact info ready really helps speed things up. And don't get discouraged if they deny you the first time - something like 70% of applications get denied initially. I had to appeal but eventually got approved.
That waiting time sounds rough. Did they at least backpay you once you were approved? And did you have to keep calling to check on the status or did they keep you updated?
Honestly I wouldn't even bother applying for SSDI if you're already getting retirement. My brother-in-law tried this exact thing and got denied TWICE even though he literally can't walk without a walker now. The whole system is RIGGED against us. They make it impossible to get approved unless you hire a lawyer who takes a huge chunk of your backpay. It's all a scam!
EXACTLY!!! They just want us to give up and go away! I've been fighting for disability for 2 years and they keep saying my condition isn't severe enough even though I can barely get out of bed some days!!!
While the process can certainly be frustrating, it's not accurate to say it's impossible without a lawyer. About 35% of initial SSDI applications are approved. For those who appeal through the hearing level, approval rates rise to about 50%. The Total and Permanent Disability discharge approval the OP already has is actually a positive factor, as it shows another federal program has recognized their disability, though SSA will make their own determination.
Connor O'Neill
just curious how much are ur survivor benefits if u don't mind sharing? trying to figure out what my mom might get
0 coins
Miguel Castro
•I'm getting about $2,750/month as my survivor benefit. But that's based on my husband's earnings record - he was a mechanical engineer for 40+ years with pretty steady high income. Your mom's amount would depend entirely on your dad's earnings history and when he claimed benefits, so it could be quite different.
0 coins
LunarEclipse
can u work part time while collecting survivors benefits? asking for my aunt
0 coins
Zainab Ibrahim
•It depends on your aunt's age: - If she's at full retirement age or older: She can work ANY amount (full-time, part-time, whatever) with NO reduction in survivor benefits - If she's under full retirement age: There are earnings limits that apply. For 2025, if she's not reaching FRA this year, she can earn up to about $22,320 without reduction. If she's reaching FRA this year, she can earn up to about $58,000 in the months before reaching FRA. Benefits are reduced $1 for every $2 or $3 earned above these limits (depending on which limit applies). The rules are the same whether it's part-time or full-time work - only the total earnings matter.
0 coins