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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
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my mom just prints all the papers they mail her, says its easier than the website lol. check your mail maybe they sent you the calculation?
Good point! I've been trying to go paperless with everything, but maybe I should check if they mailed me more detailed information than what shows up online.
I just checked my own account to verify - if you go to the Benefits Verification Letter in your Message Center, it should show your monthly benefit amount after WEP. Then you need to call SSA to ask for your pre-WEP amount, as I don't see it displayed clearly anywhere on the site. Also, if you haven't already, check if you qualify for the WEP guarantee provision - in some cases, your WEP reduction cannot exceed 50% of your non-covered pension amount.
Thanks for checking your own account! I don't think I've heard of the WEP guarantee provision before - that's another thing for me to look into. I appreciate everyone's help with this confusing topic!
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Has anyone here successfully gotten an increase in their SS payment after having cancer??? My dad is going through something similar and we keep hitting dead ends... SO FRUSTRATING!!!
no increases with SS but check your state dept of aging. my husband got extra help with heating bills and some home care through our county office. not much but every little bit helped.
I'm a volunteer with cancer patients, and while Social Security won't provide additional cash benefits beyond his retirement amount, please look into these resources that many miss: 1. Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC) - searchable database of financial help 2. CancerCare provides small grants for treatment-related costs 3. Patient Advocate Foundation for help negotiating medical bills 4. If he was employed when diagnosed, check if his employer offered critical illness insurance 5. Veterans with cancer can access additional VA benefits if applicable Definitely apply for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drugs as others suggested - it can reduce costs dramatically.
Thank you SO much for these resources! I hadn't heard of most of these. Will definitely check into all of them, especially the CancerCare grants. Every bit helps right now.
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wait i'm confused... isn't windexing for cleaning windows? lol what does that have to do with social security??
Haha, no - though that's an understandable mix-up! In Social Security context, people sometimes incorrectly use "windexing" to refer to detailed benefit calculations done through a program called WINDOWS (WINdfall Offset WorkSheet). But as another commenter correctly pointed out, WINDOWS is actually for worker's compensation offset calculations, not retirement benefit matrices. What OP needs is a month-by-month benefit calculation showing various claiming age options, which is a different service.
One more tip: When the technical expert does your calculation, make sure to ask about the impact of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) if you've ever worked for a government entity where you didn't pay into Social Security. These provisions can significantly reduce your benefits and aren't accounted for in standard calculations. Also, if you're planning on continuing to work while collecting benefits before your FRA, make sure they explain how the earnings limit would affect your payments. The benefit calculation matrix is much more useful when it includes these adjustments.
That's good to know. I did work for a state university for about 5 years where I didn't pay into Social Security, so I'll definitely ask about WEP. I hadn't thought about that.
Dallas Villalobos
my aunt went thru this. she got the higher amount but it took almost 4 months to process after my uncle died. make sure u have marriage certificate and death certificate ready. they needed like 10 different documents its crazy.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Yep same happened when my dad passed. Mom had to provide their marriage license from 1968! Luckily they still had it but it was a hassle finding everything while grieving. The funeral home gave us 10 copies of the death certificate which was helpful because SS took one original copy.
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Reina Salazar
This thread has been really informative. To summarize the key points for the original poster: 1. Yes, you can claim your reduced retirement benefit now at 62 2. If your husband passes away, you can switch to his higher benefit as a survivor 3. Your early claiming doesn't affect your eventual survivor benefit amount 4. There may be a reduction to the survivor benefit if you claim it before your FRA 5. Given the large difference between your benefit and your husband's, even a reduced survivor benefit would likely be higher than your own This is a common strategy for couples with large benefit disparities. The lower-earning spouse often claims early while the higher-earning spouse maximizes their benefit (which becomes the survivor benefit).
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Gemma Andrews
•Thank you for this clear summary! I think I'm going to go ahead and apply for my benefits next month when I turn 62. It makes sense in our situation since my husband has already maximized his benefit and we could use the extra income now.
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