Social Security survivor benefits at 65 while delaying retirement until 70 - urgent filing issues with office appointments

First, I'm sorry about your health diagnosis. For your Medicare enrollment, yes you can absolutely do that online at SSA.gov/medicare. Do that TODAY since you're past 65 and might face penalties depending on whether you had other qualifying coverage. Regarding the survivor-to-own-benefits strategy: You're right that this usually requires speaking with an SSA representative since it's a more complex filing strategy. Have you tried calling right when they open at 9am? That's generally when wait times are shortest. Another option is to try calling your local office directly rather than the main 800 number.

OMG same thing happened to me last month!!! i was on hold FOREVER and then it just hung up on me!! so frustrating!!! i think the whole system is broken tbh

For clarification on your survivor-to-own benefits strategy (which is smart financially): 1. You MUST file for survivor benefits in person or by phone - no online option for this particular situation 2. Make sure when filing for survivor benefits, you explicitly state you are "restricting the scope of your application" to ONLY survivor benefits, as you plan to switch to your own retirement at 70 3. For Medicare, yes - complete Part A and B enrollment online immediately as you're in your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) +8 months 4. Consider completing the protective filing statement by mail to establish your intent to file while you're trying to secure an appointment As for getting through by phone - have you tried requesting a callback rather than staying on hold? Not all offices offer this, but it's worth asking.

Ugh the SSA phone system is THE WORST! I spent almost 3 weeks trying to get through for my widower benefits. The only thing that finally worked was using Claimyr to get through to a rep. They connected me to SSA within 20 minutes after I'd been trying for days on my own. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration! I was able to get my appointment scheduled right away. Their website is claimyr.com

I think there's some confusion about the survivor benefit filing process. I just went through this last year with my wife's survivor benefits, and here's what I learned: 1. You CAN submit a protective filing statement by mail (important to establish your filing date) 2. You DON'T necessarily need an in-person appointment - they did ours entirely by phone 3. The trick is getting through to schedule that phone appointment When you do get through, make ABSOLUTELY SURE they understand you're doing the restricted application for survivor benefits only. The first agent I spoke with tried to file for both simultaneously which would have permanently reduced my wife's retirement benefit.

the whole social security sistem is BROKEN!! i've been trying to fix my benefits for 6 MONTHS and they keep giving me the runaround. good luck even getting through to someone who knows what their talking about!! half the time they tell you wrong information anyway. and don't even get me started on there website witch crashes everytime i try to use it!!!!

my mom just did this exact thing last month! she ended up faxing a letter to the local office saying she needed an appointment for survivors benefits and they called her back in 2 days to schedule it. worth a try maybe?

Update on the Medicare situation - make sure you also decide on your Medicare Advantage (Part C) or Medigap + Part D plans given your diagnosis. These have separate enrollment windows from basic Medicare. Since you're applying outside your initial enrollment period for Medicare, you should qualify for a Special Enrollment Period due to losing other coverage, but document everything carefully. For your survivor-to-own benefits strategy, here's a specific tip: when you get through to schedule your appointment, request a "technical expert" specifically. They're better versed in the restricted application rules that apply to your situation (being born before 1/2/1954 makes you eligible for this strategy).

i dont understand why ur waiting till 70 for ur own benefits? thats forever away! why not just take everything now and be done with it? my brother waited and then passed away before he ever got to collect the higher amount. just my 2 cents

UPDATE: I was able to get through by utilizing the phone number of my local office! I called as soon as they opened at 9am and was connected within 10 minutes. They've scheduled my appointment for next Tuesday, and I've already completed my Medicare enrollment online. Thank you everyone for your suggestions and support!