just wondering, did your husband work for the government? my sister's husband did and she got almost nothing from spousal benefits because of something called WEP or GPO i think?

One last tip - when you do reach your FRA and apply for the spousal benefit, print out a copy of your husband's benefit verification letter showing his PIA amount, and bring your own as well. Having documentation of both benefit amounts will help ensure they calculate everything correctly. Also, if the online benefit verification letter doesn't show your exact start date, you can request your complete earnings record, which will show when benefits began. Log in to your my Social Security account, go to "Review Your Information" and then "View Earnings Record.

This is so confusing! I thought I understood how marriage duration works for Social Security but now I'm not sure. I was in a traditional opposite-sex marriage for 9 years and 10 months before divorce, and I was told I missed the 10-year cutoff for ex-spouse benefits by just 2 months. It seems unfair that some people get different rules than others, but I guess that's how the law works sometimes. In any case, OP, I hope you can get those benefits!

Thank you all so much for the helpful information! I feel much better prepared now. I'll definitely keep records of all the policy information mentioned here when I eventually apply. I'm still years away from being eligible age-wise, but it's a relief to know I'll qualify based on the marriage duration. Social Security rules are so complicated - I'm grateful for this community's knowledge!

theres a place on the application where it asks if u applied before so u have to say yes

Has anyone here successfully gotten approved after being initially denied for MS specifically? I'm curious how long it took and what evidence made the difference. My sister's facing a similar situation with her SSDI application for MS.

That's correct about survivor benefits. While a spousal benefit is 50% of the worker's benefit amount, a survivor benefit is up to 100% of what the worker was receiving (depending on when you claim it). The GPO still reduces it by 2/3 of your government pension, but since the starting amount is higher, you're more likely to receive some benefit.For example, if your husband's benefit is $2,450/month, the potential survivor benefit would be $2,450 (not $1,225 like the spousal benefit). With your $2,890 pension, the GPO reduction would be about $1,927, leaving you with roughly $523/month in survivor benefits after your husband passes.I'd recommend getting this calculation verified by SSA when the time comes, as benefit amounts will have changed by then due to COLAs.

Thank you for explaining that so clearly. I had no idea there might be some benefits available eventually. I appreciate everyone's help in figuring this out!

does anyone know if the survivor benefit includes the COLA increases that would have happened? like if he passes away this year but I wait 5 years to claim survivors at my FRA would I get his amount plus all the COLAs?

Thank you all for the helpful information! I feel much more confident about my options now. I'm planning to call SSA to confirm everything directly, but having this knowledge beforehand will help me ask the right questions. It seems like taking my reduced benefit at 62 and then switching to the full survivor benefit at 67 (if needed) would be the best financial strategy in my situation. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and expertise.