Can I receive Social Security survivor benefits at 56 while on SSDI? Ex-husband of 23 years just died

First, I'm very sorry for your loss. Yes, you may qualify for survivor benefits as an ex-spouse since you were married over 10 years (the minimum is 10) and neither of you remarried. Normally, widow(er)s can't collect until 60, BUT there's an exception for disabled widow(er)s who can collect as early as 50. Since you're already on SSDI, you likely meet this requirement. However, there's something important to understand: SSA won't pay you both benefits in full. They'll essentially pay the higher of the two amounts. So if your ex's benefit would result in a higher payment than your current SSDI, you'd receive your SSDI amount plus the difference to equal the survivor benefit amount. I'd recommend calling SSA directly to apply as soon as possible, as survivor benefits are not retroactive beyond 6 months.

my condolences on your loss. hang in there, the SSA process takes forever but its worth going through for the money. When my ex died it took like 5 months to get everything sorted but I did get back pay

Call them right away!! I waited almost 2 months after my ex passed and they told me I could have gotten an earlier start date if I'd called sooner! They only backdate 6 months MAX no matter what and sometimes less. And be prepared to sit on hold FOREVER or get disconnected multiple times. Their phone system is THE WORST!!!!!!

When I was in a similar situation last year, I tried calling SSA for three weeks and couldn't get through. I kept getting disconnected or would wait on hold for hours only to have the call drop. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Saved me so much stress when I was already dealing with grief. They connected me directly to SSA and I was able to start my survivor benefit application process right away instead of waiting weeks. Definitely worth checking out if you're having trouble getting through on the phone.

Sorry about ur exhusband. The disability benefits and survivor benefits question is complicated! My sister gets both but they did some weird calculation and she only gets like $200 more total. Not the full amount of both. Still better than nothing tho! Good luck

Update: I finally got through to SSA yesterday. They confirmed I'm eligible as a disabled surviving divorced spouse since we were married over 10 years. I need to provide our marriage certificate, divorce decree, his death certificate, and proof of my disability onset date. The agent said my benefit might increase by about $470/month based on his earnings record. They're mailing me paperwork and I have an appointment next month. Thanks everyone for your help!

wait i thought survivor benefits were only for current spouses not exes? am i missing something here??

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Does anyone know if getting survivor benefits affects your eligibility for Medicaid?? I'm on SSDI too and get Medicaid because my income is low, but if I got more from survivor benefits I'm worried I'd lose my medical coverage which I CANNOT afford to lose with my health conditions!!!

To clarify some information here: As a disabled surviving divorced spouse, you're eligible since your marriage lasted over 10 years. The benefit calculation will work like this: 1. SSA will calculate your ex-husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 2. As a disabled widow, you'll receive 71.5% of his PIA if you claim now at age 56 3. This percentage reduction is permanent (unless you switch to retirement benefits later) 4. SSA will compare this amount to your current SSDI 5. You'll receive the higher of the two amounts Since you're already receiving SSDI, there's no 5-month waiting period for survivor benefits. Any increase will be effective from your application date (or up to 6 months retroactively if you request it). Your Medicare will continue unaffected. When you turn full retirement age (FRA), you may want to reassess which benefit to take, as the reduction for early claiming no longer applies at that point.

just wondering did your ex have any kids? my friend told me that can affect the benefit amounts too something about family maximum