I went through this process with my son who has autism spectrum disorder about two years ago. One thing I wish I had known beforehand is to bring a support person if possible - the interview can be emotionally draining when you're discussing your child's limitations in detail. The interviewer will likely ask you to describe a typical week for your son, including any activities, therapies, or programs he participates in. They want to understand his daily functioning level and support needs. Don't be afraid to mention things like: - How long it takes him to complete simple tasks - What happens when his routine is disrupted - His communication barriers and how they affect daily life - Any safety concerns that require supervision Also, if your son has ever had a job coach assessment or participated in any work-readiness programs through school, bring those reports. Even if they show he needs extensive support, that documentation is valuable evidence. The interview itself felt very clinical and focused, which actually helped keep my emotions in check. The representative took detailed notes and asked follow-up questions when she needed clarification. One last tip: after the interview, ask for a timeline of next steps and try to get contact information for checking on status. The waiting period is tough, but having some sense of the process helps. You're doing everything right by preparing so thoroughly!

I can tell from reading through all these responses that you're incredibly well-prepared for your interview! As someone who works with families navigating disability services, I wanted to add one more practical tip that might help. Consider bringing a simple checklist of the key points you want to cover during the interview. When emotions run high (which is completely normal when discussing your child's challenges), it's easy to forget important details. Having a written list can help ensure you don't leave the interview wishing you had mentioned something crucial. Also, remember that this interview is just the beginning of the process - it's not a pass/fail moment. The interviewer's job is to gather information to start the disability determination. Even if you feel like you didn't explain something perfectly, there will be opportunities to provide additional documentation and clarification throughout the process. Your son is fortunate to have such a dedicated advocate. The level of preparation and research you've done shows how committed you are to ensuring he gets the support he needs. Take a deep breath - you've got this! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Great advice from everyone here! I'm also navigating Social Security planning and wanted to add one more resource that might help. You can create a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov to get personalized benefit estimates and see your earnings history. This can help you verify the numbers you're working with before making any claiming decisions. Also, regarding the documentation Sarah mentioned - yes, you'll definitely need your marriage certificate for survivor benefits, but also make sure you have your husband's death certificate when that time comes (hopefully far in the future!). The SSA is very particular about having original documents or certified copies. Your plan to wait 18 months and get everything in writing sounds very smart. The earnings test really can complicate things if you're still working, and the permanent reduction from claiming early is significant. Better to be patient and maximize your benefits!

As someone who just went through the Social Security claiming process at 63, I wanted to share a few additional insights that might help with your planning: First, the my Social Security account that Chloe mentioned is absolutely essential - but double-check those earnings records! I found several years where my earnings weren't properly credited, which would have reduced my benefit calculation. You have to report discrepancies before you claim. Second, regarding the in-person appointment strategy - that's smart, but call ahead to schedule. Many offices are still operating with limited walk-in availability post-COVID. When I went in person last year, they were booking appointments 3-4 weeks out. One thing I wish someone had told me: if you're planning to work part-time after claiming, keep detailed records of your monthly earnings. The earnings test is applied annually, but if you go over in some months and under in others, having good documentation can help if there are any disputes about withholding. Your husband did great by waiting until 70 - that delayed retirement credit really adds up! Given his higher benefit amount, your survivor benefit strategy makes a lot of sense. Just make sure to periodically review the numbers as you get closer to your planned claiming date, since the calculations can change slightly with cost-of-living adjustments.

I'm going through a similar situation right now! My husband filed at 70 in 2019, and I'm trying to figure out the spousal benefit calculation for when I file next year. One thing that helped us was requesting a "benefit verification letter" from SSA - sometimes this shows more detailed information than what's visible in the online account. You can request it through his mySocialSecurity account or by calling. Also, I learned that if you can find ANY old Social Security statement from around his FRA years (even a year or two off), you can use that as a starting point. The SSA website has historical COLA increases listed, so you could potentially work forward from an older statement to estimate his FRA amount. The math gets tricky with all the COLAs and delayed credits, but at least it gives you a ballpark figure to compare against what SSA tells you when you apply. Good luck - the whole system really isn't designed to make this easy for us!

I went through this exact same situation with my parents a few years ago! Here's what we discovered: The SSA keeps detailed records of everyone's PIA at FRA, even after they've started collecting benefits. When you call (and yes, I know the wait times are brutal), specifically ask the representative to look up your husband's "Primary Insurance Amount at Full Retirement Age" - use those exact words. They have this information in their system. Also, something that might save you some hassle: when you're ready to apply for your benefits, you can actually do a "protective filing" over the phone. This locks in your application date while giving you time to gather all the information you need. During that call, they should be able to tell you exactly what your spousal benefit would be based on his actual PIA. One more tip - if your husband has any old tax returns from around 2013-2014, sometimes the Social Security withholding amounts can help you work backwards to estimate his earnings and PIA from that time period. Not perfect, but it can give you a sanity check on the numbers SSA provides. The whole process is needlessly complicated, but hang in there! Once you get the right person at SSA, they can usually sort this out pretty quickly.

This is such a valuable thread for anyone dealing with similar SSA issues! I'm glad I found it because I'm approaching retirement age myself and had no idea about the potential complications with ex-spouse information. Reading through everyone's experiences really highlights how important it is to be prepared with the right questions and forms before calling SSA. The fact that Ashley got two completely different responses from different agents is unfortunately typical of what I've heard from friends who've navigated this process. It's great that this community exists to share real-world knowledge about these bureaucratic hurdles. Definitely saving this post for when I need to file my own application!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm not at retirement age yet, but my older sister is going through the SSA application process right now and has been pulling her hair out over similar issues. The inconsistency between representatives is just mind-boggling - how can there be such different interpretations of the same policies within the same agency? What really strikes me is how many of you had to become your own advocates and learn the system better than some of the actual SSA employees. The specific form numbers and procedures mentioned here (like the SSA-795 form) are exactly the kind of insider knowledge that can make or break someone's application process. It's unfortunate that we have to crowdsource this information instead of getting it from the agency itself. Ashley, I'm so happy your persistence paid off! Your experience really shows why it's worth calling back if the first agent can't help. I'm definitely sharing this thread with my sister - the advice about preserving your filing date while working through these issues could be crucial for her situation too.

I'm currently on SSDI and will be hitting my FRA in about 14 months, so this discussion has been incredibly valuable! It's such a relief to hear from so many people who went through this transition smoothly. I've been losing sleep worrying about whether I'd need to file new paperwork or if there was some deadline I might miss. The fact that it's completely automatic and the payment amount stays the same is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and probably check my MySocialSecurity account regularly as my FRA approaches. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - it means so much to hear from people who actually went through this rather than just reading generic government websites that don't always give you the full picture of what to expect.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this conversion about 18 months ago - everything everyone is saying is absolutely correct! The transition from SSDI to retirement benefits at FRA is completely automatic. I remember being just as worried as you are, Edison, especially since I'd heard horror stories about SSA mix-ups. But honestly, it was the smoothest thing ever. One day I was getting disability benefits, the next day (my FRA birthday) I was getting retirement benefits - same amount, same payment date, zero interruption. The only real difference I noticed was psychological - it felt good to not have to worry about those work restrictions anymore, even though I wasn't planning to work much anyway. My advice: don't stress about it, but definitely keep an eye on your MySocialSecurity account around your FRA date just for your own peace of mind. The system really does work as advertised in this case!