SS Disability vs Retirement Benefits for terminal illness - husband turning 65 with pancreatic cancer

I'm so sorry about your wife's diagnosis. To answer your question: at age 65, there's actually very little financial difference between SSDI and retirement benefits. The calculation method is essentially the same for both. However, there are a couple of potential advantages to filing for SSDI: 1. If your wife qualifies for SSDI, she gets a 5-month waiting period waived because of the terminal diagnosis (compassionate allowance condition) 2. If she's still under her Full Retirement Age (probably 66+some months based on her birth year), SSDI would give her 100% of her PIA whereas early retirement would reduce her benefit amount 3. Medicare eligibility comes with SSDI after 24 months, but she's nearly 65 anyway so that's not really a factor Honestly, with her turning 65 so soon, the simplest path is probably just filing for retirement benefits unless she's significantly below her FRA.

My dad had a similar situation with lung cancer. The SSA has something called Compassionate Allowance that FAST-TRACKS disability applications for certain conditions and pancreatic cancer is DEFINITELY on that list!!! We got his approval in like 3 WEEKS when normal disability takes FOREVER!!! Apply for SSDI immediately!!!! Don't wait!!!!!

so sorry about your wife. my husband had cancer too and we went through all this last year. the disability vs retirement thing confused us too. we ended up just doing regular retirement because the disability paperwork seemed like too much during an already stressful time. whatever you decide, make sure to also look into any private disability insurance she might have through her workplace, thats separate from SS and might give additional benefits.

In your wife's situation, applying for SSDI makes sense for several reasons: 1. At 65, she's still below her Full Retirement Age (likely around 66+ months), so taking early retirement would permanently reduce her benefit amount by approximately 8-10% 2. SSDI would provide her full PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) without reduction 3. Pancreatic cancer qualifies for the Compassionate Allowance program, which expedites processing to days/weeks instead of months 4. The normal 5-month waiting period for SSDI would be waived The only potential downside is having to compile medical documentation, but with a clear terminal diagnosis, approval should be straightforward. The financial difference could be $250-350 more per month with SSDI versus early retirement, which might be significant depending on your situation. I'd recommend applying for SSDI immediately - you can always switch to retirement benefits later if needed.

I've been trying to reach SSA for weeks about my own disability application and keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours. If you go the SSDI route, I'd strongly recommend using Claimyr to get through to an actual human at SSA. It saved me hours of frustration - you can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The service connects you directly to SSA without the usual wait times. With your wife's situation being time-sensitive due to her diagnosis, it might be worth considering. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out.

why bother with disability when shes retiring anyway? sounds like extra paperwork for not much benefit. just take the regular ss and focus on spending time together instead of dealing with government paperwork imo

my mom applied for both at the same time when she got sick. the SSA person told her to do that. they approved disability first so she got that but then it automatically converted to retirement when she hit full retirement age. maybe worth asking if your wife can do the same thing?

So sad to hear about your wife, sending prayers. I went through something similar with my sister last year. One thing nobody mentioned yet - if your wife qualifies for SSDI, she might also qualify for a lump-sum payment for the months between application and approval. With regular retirement, you can only get 6 months of retroactive benefits max, but SSDI can go back further depending on when they establish her onset date. Just something else to consider.

DONT forget to ask about survivors benefits for YOU after she passes!!! My neighbor got widower benefits after his wife died from cancer and it really helped him!!! The SSA doesn't always tell you everything you're eligible for unless you ASK SPECIFICALLY!!!