Can I switch from SS retirement to SSDI years after filing? 100% disabled veteran needs advice

when u apply for ss benefits they should of looked at both retirement and disability to see which one pays more. thats what they did for me. something sounds off about your situation

Unfortunately, there's a lot of confusion about this. When you apply for disability after you've already been receiving retirement benefits, it's called a "disability freeze." This can protect your future benefits from being reduced due to years of low or no earnings due to disability. The key issue is whether you were disabled before you filed for early retirement. If you were, you might be able to establish an earlier disability onset date which could increase your benefit amount by removing the early retirement reduction. However, there's a time limit. Generally, you need to apply for SSDI within 12 months of becoming eligible for it to retroactively change your application from early retirement to disability. Since it's been several years in your case, this option might not be available. I'd recommend contacting SSA directly to discuss your specific situation. They can review your case and tell you what options you have at this point. Your 100% VA disability rating doesn't automatically qualify you for SSDI, but it is strong supporting evidence.

I'm in a similar situation!!! Applied for retirement at 62 and then found out later I could have gotten SSDI instead. I tried to switch and they told me I was past the 12 month window so I was STUCK with the lower amount FOREVER!! It's RIDICULOUS that they don't explain these options to us when we first apply. I lost like $400 a month because of this!!! The system is DESIGNED to confuse people so we get less money!!!!

My brother had the same thing happen but with a different ending. He took early retirement at 62 then got really sick about 6 months later. When he applied for disability they approved it AND removed the early retirement penalty! But he did it within that 12 month window everyone's talking about. Good luck!

A couple of technical points that might help: 1. At age 67, you've now reached your Full Retirement Age (FRA), which means the disability program wouldn't provide a higher monthly benefit than what you're currently receiving. SSDI converts to regular retirement benefits at FRA anyway. 2. However, if you can prove you were disabled before you applied for early retirement, and get that earlier disability onset date established, SSA may recalculate your benefit amount to remove the early retirement reduction that was applied when you filed at 62. This could potentially increase your monthly benefit. 3. Your VA 100% disability rating is helpful evidence but SSA uses different criteria for determining disability. You would need to show that you were unable to engage in Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) due to a medically determinable condition expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. I recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to discuss these specific issues and whether you might qualify for a disability freeze, which could help your benefit calculation even if you can't switch to SSDI retroactively.

I had to call Social Security 14 times over 3 weeks trying to get through to discuss a similar issue with my benefits. Eventually I found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - honestly saved me so much frustration. I used it to finally get my disability freeze application submitted. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to try it instead of dealing with the endless busy signals.

Also check if u can get SSI on top of ur SS retirement. If ur income is low enough u might qualify for that too. My cousin gets both.

The whole system is BROKEN!! My husband is also a disabled vet and we've been fighting with SS for THREE YEARS trying to get his benefits straightened out. They lost his paperwork TWICE and every time we call we get someone different who gives contradictory information. I'm so tired of this bureaucratic nightmare!!!

One more important point regarding your situation: When you reach out to SSA, specifically ask about the "Disability Freeze" (also called an "Earnings Record Freeze"). This is different from converting from retirement to disability benefits. The disability freeze protects your earnings record by excluding periods of low earnings due to disability from your benefit calculation. Since your benefit amount is based on your lifetime earnings, this could potentially increase your monthly payment even though you're past FRA. To apply for a disability freeze, you'll need to complete form SSA-16 (Application for Disability Insurance Benefits) and provide medical evidence supporting that your disability began before you applied for early retirement. The key is proving your disability onset date was before your early retirement application.