dont forget that survivor benefits and retirement r different things! my sister thought they were the same and got confused when applying

One important detail that hasn't been mentioned yet: When you reach your Full Retirement Age (66 in your case), the earnings test no longer applies to survivor benefits. This means you can earn any amount without having your survivor benefit reduced. Before FRA, benefits are reduced if earnings exceed certain limits ($22,320 in 2025 with $1 reduction for every $2 over the limit). So while taxes will take a bite out of your benefits at your income level, at least you won't face the additional reduction from the earnings test once you reach 66 in February 2025.

What happens when they convert her from disability to retirement? Will the payment amount change? My wife is worried about that part.

Update: I finally got through to SSA! The representative confirmed that my wife can take the extra shift since she'll still be under the SGA limit. They also checked and said she hasn't used any of her Trial Work Period months yet, which is good to know for the future. Thanks everyone for your help!

One more thing - print out a copy of the actual legislation repealing WEP/GPO and take it with you when you go to the SSA office. I've learned from dealing with them for years that many employees don't stay updated on policy changes. Having the actual law in your hand can save you from being given incorrect information. And if the first person you talk to seems confused, politely ask to speak with a technical expert or supervisor who specializes in WEP/GPO issues.

my mom had gpo affect her widows benefit for years. shes so excited about the repeal but scared about dealing with ssa. will let u know how it goes when she tries in january!

One thing nobody's mentioned - if he gets approved for SSDI with an onset date from 20 years ago, does he qualify for any back payments? Seems like the system should compensate him for all those years he could have collected but chose to work instead.

This is actually a common misunderstanding about SSDI and Medicare. The 24-month waiting period for Medicare begins when you become entitled to SSDI benefits, which is typically 5 months after your established onset date (due to the SSDI 5-month waiting period). However, since your brother-in-law has been disabled for 20 years but never applied, his entitlement date would begin 5 months after he applies and gets approved (assuming they establish his onset date as recent). If he can prove he met the disability criteria continuously for the past 20 years, the onset date might be set far back, but SSA will only pay benefits 12 months retroactively from application date. The Medicare clock would still start from his first SSDI entitlement, not from the onset date 20 years ago. Only time actually receiving SSDI benefits counts toward the Medicare waiting period.

I was in a similar position a few years back. Getting those family benefits made a HUGE difference for us, especially with the debt we were carrying. But one thing I wish someone had told me - document EVERYTHING. Keep copies of all your application paperwork, confirmation numbers, the names of any SSA reps you speak with, etc. When my son turned 18, there was a mess with stopping his benefits that took months to sort out because the SSA claimed they never received some paperwork I KNOW I submitted. The system is so backed up and understaffed that errors happen constantly.

Overall, yes, it was absolutely worth it for us. The family benefits helped us pay off about $42,000 in debt over three years, which gave us so much more financial freedom. My husband's reduced benefit is enough for our needs now that our expenses are lower without the debt payments. The paperwork headaches were frustrating but temporary. One thing we did that really helped - we pretended the family benefits didn't exist for our day-to-day budget and used them ONLY for debt paydown. Made it easier when those extra payments stopped.