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.

My friend just went thru this. Her benefit went up when hubby filed but not by as much as she thought. They take your wifes FRA benefit subtract it from half of your FRA benefit. If thats a positive number she gets an addition. If its negative she just keeps hers. Thats my understanding anyways.

I appreciate all the responses. This is much more complicated than I thought! So basically, since my wife took her benefit early at 62, she'll always have some kind of reduction applied, and the best we can hope for is that she might get some additional amount on top of her current benefit if half of my FRA amount (reduced for her early filing) is more than what she gets now. I think I'll need to talk directly with SSA to get exact numbers. Really wish they made this clearer on their website.

I forgot 2 mention that if your sister already submitted her Rrequiest for benefits & wants to change her mind, she only has 12 MONTHS to withdraw the application and it REQUIRES PAYING BACK any benefits she recieved!!! Important to know this before she does anything!!!

Good point about the 12-month withdrawal window. However, in this specific scenario with earnings limit withholding, she might not receive any benefits to pay back if her earnings are high enough to cause 100% withholding. But you're absolutely right that understanding the withdrawal rules is critical before making any filing decision.

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! I'm going to gather my DD-214, recent W-2s, and tax returns from the last few years. I'll also prepare a list of my employers for the past 15 years and make sure my bank account info is handy for direct deposit. I'm a bit worried about the phone system issues some of you mentioned. I might try the online application instead, but I have a few complicated questions about my pension that I was hoping to discuss with a representative. I'll definitely get confirmation numbers and names for everyone I speak with. And I'll decide on the tax withholding beforehand - probably going with 10% federal withholding to be safe.

Just thought of something else - if you're planning to continue working, make sure you understand how your earnings might increase your future benefit amount. Even after you start receiving benefits, SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit amount annually if your recent earnings are higher than one of the 35 highest years used in your original calculation. And since you mentioned being a veteran, be sure to check with the VA about any additional benefits you might qualify for. Many veterans don't realize there are pension benefits available through the VA that are separate from Social Security.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that you should make an appointment at your local SSA office. While getting someone on the phone is difficult, in-person appointments can be scheduled online. I found it much more helpful to sit down with someone who could look at all my options. For survivor benefits, they often prefer to handle these cases in person anyway. When my sister was widowed, she tried doing everything by phone and ended up with incorrect information.

Thank you all for the helpful information. I think my best strategy is to take the reduced survivor benefits now since I need the additional income, and then switch to my own retirement benefit when I reach FRA. I'll try to get an appointment at the local office and also check out that Claimyr service to speak with someone sooner. I definitely want to make sure I understand exactly how much I'll receive and how my part-time work will affect things before making any decisions. This community has been so helpful!