Great question. WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduced Social Security benefits for people who earned pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security (like many government jobs) but also worked enough in Social Security-covered jobs to qualify for benefits. As a postal worker, your pension was from a Social Security-covered job, so WEP never applied to you. You would have been affected by WEP only if your pension came from a job where you didn't pay Social Security taxes (like some state/local government positions, or foreign employment). When you apply next year, you'll get your full Social Security benefit based on your 18 years at Walmart without any WEP reduction.

You're right about the confusion, but the 6-month limit is correct. Even though you can apply after FRA and request retroactive benefits, SSA limits the retroactivity to 6 months maximum regardless of how long past FRA you are. It's in the POMS section GN 00204.030. So even if someone is 2 years past their FRA when they apply, they can still only get a maximum of 6 months of retroactive benefits. The OP's wife received exactly what was allowed under the rules.

Oh I see! Thanks for explaining. That's good to know since I'll be helping my sister apply soon and she's about 9 months past her FRA.

That's correct - it's called the 'recent work test.' At age 42, he needs 20 credits total (5 years of work) AND 20 credits within the last 10 years. If he's been working steadily, he should meet this requirement easily.

One last tip - have him keep a detailed symptom journal documenting how his MS affects daily activities. Include good days AND bad days, noting when he's too fatigued to perform basic tasks, when cognitive issues interfere with concentration, detailed mobility limitations, etc. This documentation is GOLD during the application process, especially if he needs to appeal.

Oh! That's really good to know. I am enrolled in Medicare. I'll look into this IRMAA thing - I had no idea the premiums could vary based on income from two years ago.

same here!!! took forever to get my first check. they backdated it but still super annoying to wait

Good question. SSA asks you to estimate your earnings for the year when you apply. They'll pay benefits based on that estimate. Later, when tax information becomes available, they'll compare your actual earnings to your estimate. If you earned more than estimated, you may have to repay some benefits. If you earned less, they may send you additional payments. If your earnings change significantly during the year, you should notify SSA to avoid potential overpayments or underpayments.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I'll definitely have all my documents ready. Did they need original documents or were copies acceptable when you applied?

They accepted certified copies of everything except my own ID. For the application by phone, I didn't need to submit anything immediately - they gave me time to mail in or drop off the documents after the application was submitted. Just make sure any copies are certified!

That's a really good point - thank you! I'll check with my dad about this right away. Mom passed on the 14th of last month, so I'm not sure how that works with partial months.

For Social Security benefits (including SSDI), if the person passes away at any point during a month, they are NOT entitled to the payment for that month. So if your mother passed on the 14th, the payment received for that month would need to be returned. If benefits are directly deposited, SSA will usually attempt to reclaim the funds electronically. If they can't, they'll send a notice requesting repayment. As the previous commenter mentioned, it's best to be proactive about this to avoid complications.

Thank you. I'm sorry about your dad as well. That's a good point about the funeral home - I'll check if they reported it. We've been overwhelmed with everything and might have missed that detail.