my mom always said you should apply on your birthday month is that true?

You need to watch out because they make you pick a Medicare plan too when you file for SS if he hasn't already done that part. My husband got totally confused by all the Medicare options when he was trying to do his SS application. Just a heads up that might slow things down.

just wondering if u ever got this resolved? im in a similar boat and scared about how long it might take

After reading through this thread, I think contacting your Congressional representative was a smart move. Their constituent services can often push things forward much faster than we can as individuals. Just to confirm a few technical points: 1. The form you filed (SSA-521) requests withdrawal of a claim, which is different from simply changing your month of entitlement. If you only wanted to delay by 3 months, a withdrawal might have been more complicated than necessary. 2. For Social Security retirement benefits, changing your month of entitlement can affect your benefit amount due to the monthly delayed retirement credits you earn after Full Retirement Age until age 70. 3. When transitioning from survivor to retirement benefits, there's often confusion about the Medicare premium transfers, which is why you're experiencing the issues with having to pay out of pocket. Keep detailed records of all your out-of-pocket Medicare payments. When your case is resolved, you'll need to submit Form SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant) with copies of your receipts to request reimbursement. This won't happen automatically.

Given what you've said - he's 67, has memory issues, is unemployed, and you need the money - I think he should file right now. Here's my reasoning: 1. You're struggling financially - $2,200/month would help immediately 2. The memory issues create risk for a more complicated application later 3. He's already at FRA so there's no penalty for filing now 4. Your SSDI plus his retirement would give you about $3,950/month combined While waiting until 70 would give him an extra $528/month, that's 36 months of not receiving $2,200/month - that's $79,200 you'd be missing out on in the short term. You'd need to live over 12 years beyond age 70 just to break even on that decision.

To answer your question about survivor benefits: If your husband passes away, you would receive the higher of the two benefits, not both. So you would stop receiving your SSDI and instead receive his Social Security retirement benefit as a survivor benefit. This is why his benefit amount matters for your long-term financial security as well. Given your current financial situation and his cognitive challenges, filing now seems most prudent. The immediate financial relief outweighs the potential long-term gain, especially considering the administrative challenges you might face if his condition worsens.

dont bother with the phone unless you want to wait 3 hours!!! go to the offfice in person and bring your mom's ID and your dad's too

I went through something similar with my grandparents last year. One thing to consider - if your mom gets approved for the higher spousal benefit, make sure SSA knows where to deposit it. If she's been getting her own benefit via direct deposit, they should use the same account, but sometimes they mess up and send a paper check for the new amount which can cause confusion. Also, when you call SSA, specifically ask about their "Compassionate Allowances" process since both your parents have serious medical conditions. This won't affect the benefit amount but might expedite the processing. And definitely pursue the Medicaid application simultaneously - at their ages with those medical conditions, they'd likely qualify for home health aide services which would be life-changing given what you described.

I'm in a similar situation but decided to wait. Financially it makes more sense for most people unless you have health issues or really need the money now. That 30% permanent reduction is significant.

To calculate your specific amount with precision: take your annual earnings over the limit ($34,000 - $22,560 = $11,440), divide by 2 = $5,720 annual reduction. Then divide your full benefit by 12 months ($1,800 × 12 = $21,600 annual benefit). Subtract the reduction ($21,600 - $5,720 = $15,880 annual adjusted benefit). Divide by 12 to get monthly = $1,323/month approximately. Remember this is before any tax considerations. And the earnings limit typically increases slightly each year with inflation adjustments.