Finally reached SSA for survivor benefits by saying 'speak to a live person' - interview scheduled!
After weeks of trying, I FINALLY figured out how to get through the Social Security phone system! Every time I called before, I'd get trapped in that endless automated loop and could never get the option to speak with an actual person. Today out of desperation, I literally said 'speak to a live person' and it worked immediately! The system told me the wait was over 2 hours (!!), so I selected the callback option, figuring they'd never actually call me back. Well, they did call - at 6:45pm! I almost missed it because I realized my phone was automatically blocking 'unknown callers' through my Verizon settings. The agent was super helpful and scheduled my survivor benefits application interview for December 9th - WAY sooner than the February date I was expecting after reading other posts here. For anyone struggling to get through: 1) Try saying exactly 'speak to a live person' to the automated system 2) Check your phone settings to make sure you're not blocking unknown numbers that might be SSA calling back. There's hope! And remember to thank these overworked agents... I made sure to tell the woman who called me that I appreciated her staying late to return calls.
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Tami Morgan
That's exactly the phrase that works! I had to learn this the hard way too. 'Speak to a representative' and 'agent' don't work as well as 'speak to a live person' with their voice recognition system. Also, if that fails, pressing 0 repeatedly sometimes kicks you to a person. Great tip about the phone settings too - I bet a lot of people miss their callbacks because of spam blockers. Congrats on getting your survivor benefits interview scheduled! Make sure you have all your documents ready - marriage certificate, death certificate, your late spouse's Social Security number, and your own birth certificate if possible.
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Maya Diaz
•Thank you! I'm putting together a folder with all those documents right now. Do you know if I need originals or will copies work? I only have one original death certificate and the funeral home said it would take 3 weeks to get more.
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Rami Samuels
congrats on getting thru!! i tried for 2 weeks straight and gave up lol. maybe ill try again tomorrow with that exact phrase. my cousin waited 3 months for her survivor appointment so ur lucky to get in before xmas!
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Haley Bennett
•I know, right? The whole system is completely broken. When my husband passed away last year, I had to call 27 TIMES before I got through. TWENTY-SEVEN! And then they scheduled my appointment for 2 months later! The entire process is designed to make people give up. Government efficiency at its finest! 🙄
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Douglas Foster
Another trick I've found for SSA calls - call exactly when they open at 8am Eastern time. Wait times are much shorter then. Also, you mentioned survivor benefits - make sure you're clear about whether you're applying for the one-time $255 death benefit (which almost everyone qualifies for) versus the monthly survivor benefits (which have more restrictions based on your age and other factors). For your December interview, have these documents ready: - Your spouse's death certificate - Marriage certificate - Both your Social Security numbers - Birth certificates for you and any dependent children - Your spouse's most recent W-2 or tax return And be prepared to answer questions about any other benefits you might be receiving (retirement, disability, etc.) as this affects your survivor benefit calculation.
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Maya Diaz
•Thank you for the detailed list! I'm applying for the monthly survivor benefits since I'm 62. I've been on my husband's health insurance through his former employer, but that ends in January, so I need to get this all sorted quickly. I didn't know about the tax return - will find that now!
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Nina Chan
I was struggling with the same thing - couldn't get through to anybody at Social Security for weeks. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was a lifesaver for me when I was dealing with my disability application and kept getting disconnected. Much better than waiting hours or having to use tricks to get the system to work!
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Maya Diaz
•I've never heard of that service! Where was this two weeks ago when I was pulling my hair out? 😂 I'll keep this in mind if I have more issues. I'm nervous they'll need to reschedule my appointment or something.
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Ruby Knight
The callback feature actually works most of the time, contrary to what many people believe. The issue is often with call blockers as you discovered. However, regarding survivor benefits, please be aware that you're making a decision that affects your lifetime benefits. At 62, you're taking a reduced survivor benefit compared to waiting until your Full Retirement Age (FRA). Depending on your own work history, you might want to consider taking your OWN reduced retirement benefit at 62 and then switching to the full survivor benefit at your FRA. This strategy can maximize your lifetime payout from Social Security. Ask about this specifically during your interview! Also, if your late spouse was receiving Social Security already, you may be eligible for any benefits they were due but hadn't received yet (called "underpayment").
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Rami Samuels
•wait you can take your own benefit first and THEN switch to survivor later?? nobody told me that when my husband died!! i just started taking survivor benefits right away at 60 😱
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Ruby Knight
•Yes, this is one of the few remaining "switching strategies" after the 2015 law changes. Unlike regular retirement benefits, survivor benefits can still be part of a strategic claiming approach. You can take reduced survivor benefits as early as age 60 and switch to your own higher benefit at 70, OR take your own reduced benefit at 62 and switch to full survivor benefits at your FRA. It depends on the relative amounts of each benefit. Unfortunately, many SSA representatives don't explain these options.
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Haley Bennett
The REAL problem is that the SSA is DELIBERATELY understaffed!! They've closed over 60 field offices since 2010 while the number of beneficiaries has INCREASED by millions! And their phone system is from the stone age! They WANT to make it hard for us to get our benefits because every day you're delayed is money they keep!! I spent THREE MONTHS trying to get my widows benefits straightened out after they miscalculated my payment. THREE MONTHS of calling and getting disconnected! It's not an accident the system is this broken!
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Diego Castillo
•I understand your frustration, but I don't think it's a deliberate conspiracy. My daughter works for SSA and they're just severely underfunded. Their computer systems are from the 1980s and they can't hire enough staff. She regularly works overtime trying to help people get their benefits. The real issue is Congress not giving them enough funding to modernize and hire more people.
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Haley Bennett
•OF COURSE someone who works for SSA would say that!! Wake up! They're sitting on a $2.8 TRILLION trust fund but can't afford to answer the phone?? I don't buy it!!!
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Diego Castillo
Regarding your survivor benefits interview, make sure you understand the rules about the earnings limit if you're still working. For 2025, if you're under Full Retirement Age and earn more than $22,300, they'll deduct $1 from benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. Also, are you aware that you can apply for survivor benefits online now? They've recently expanded their online services. Might be easier than the phone interview process. And good job being kind to the representative! As someone who worked in government services for years, I can tell you that a little kindness goes a long way when staff are overwhelmed.
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Maya Diaz
•I tried the online application but got stuck when it asked for information about my husband's previous marriages. He was married briefly in his 20s (we're in our 60s now) and I don't have any of those records. The online system wouldn't let me proceed without them, so I figured a phone interview would be easier to explain my situation.
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