My father is 79 and has been collecting his state teacher's pension ($3,200/month) for 14 years. Before becoming a teacher, he worked various jobs in manufacturing during the 1960s-70s and earned his 40 SS quarters, but with pretty low wages. My mother was always the higher earner under Social Security, but she passed away in 2017. Dad never applied for his own SS benefits or survivor benefits from Mom because we were told the WEP and GPO would reduce them to almost nothing. With all this talk about WEP reform in the new legislation, would my dad now qualify for some Social Security benefits? We tried logging into his mySocialSecurity account to apply online but got confused when the system said it wasn't an option. Does he need to call or visit an office? Has anyone successfully navigated this situation recently?

I'm trying to figure out the rules for my husband who never paid into Social Security (he worked for a state government with their own pension system for 35 years). I've worked and paid into SS my whole life and I'm planning to delay claiming until I turn 70 to maximize my benefits. My questions are: 1) Can my husband qualify for spousal benefits based on my work record even though he has a non-covered pension? 2) Does he have to wait until I actually file for my benefits at 70, or can he start collecting spousal benefits earlier? 3) Will his spousal benefits reduce my retirement benefit amount? We're both 66 now, and I'm trying to plan our income for the next few years. The SSA website is confusing me with all this talk about WEP and GPO reductions. Any help sorting this out would be greatly appreciated!

My brother-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer last month. The doctors are giving him maybe 3-6 months. My sister is trying to figure out their financial situation and wanted me to ask about Social Security benefits. He's 63 and hasn't applied for retirement benefits yet. She wants him to apply now so they can get some income, but she's confused about how survivor benefits would work if he passes away shortly after starting to receive benefits. Would her eventual survivor benefit be based on what he actually receives now (reduced for early filing) or would it be based on his full retirement age amount? Also, does it matter how long he receives benefits before passing? She's 61 if that makes any difference for the calculation. Thanks for any help during this difficult time.

I need advice about my 54-year-old brother's situation. He's mainly done cash construction jobs his whole life without paying much into Social Security (nowhere near the 40 credits needed). His health has deteriorated severely over the years – he broke his back falling off a roof in his 20s (got workers' comp temporarily), has had multiple serious injuries leaving him with 'more metal than bone,' and now has severe vision problems. He lost sight in one eye from a nail gun accident a few years back – had surgery but it didn't help much. He can only perceive light in that eye now. What's terrifying is his other eye is rapidly deteriorating too. He's seeing a specialist next month, but we're really worried. He owns just a trailer, an old truck, and has virtually no savings (maybe a tiny bit of crypto). He's been getting by doing odd jobs for family and friends, but with his vision failing, even that's becoming impossible. He applied for SSDI years ago but was denied – I'm guessing because of insufficient work credits. Would he qualify for SSI now given his disability and limited assets? Are there other programs that might help someone in his situation? I'm desperate to find him some support before his vision gets worse.

My friend recently turned 65 and discovered her ex-husband passed away last year. They were married for about 8 years before divorcing, and he remarried after their divorce. She never remarried. I'm wondering if she qualifies for any Social Security survivor benefits as his ex-spouse? The whole situation seems complicated with the remarriage on his side. If she does qualify, what documentation would she need to prove their marriage? Does anyone know if the 10-year marriage rule applies differently in survivor cases versus regular spousal benefits? Any help would be appreciated since she's struggling financially and every bit would help.