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A Sometimes-Overlooked Social Security Benefit for Divorcees
A divorced person over age 62 has an option to receive Social Security benefits on the work record of a former spouse, assuming certain tests can be met (for example, the marriage must have lasted ten years or longer). Also, 50% of the amount of the benefit from an ex-spouses record would need to be greater than the divorced spouses own benefit to be worthwhile. Liisa Ogburn of www.wral.com provides additional and helpful information in a post on the station’s website. Check it out here…
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.
I have questions regarding do - Over for social security
I have to take my retirement benefits at age
64. Full retirement was 66 . I am now 70 years old turning 71 in oct.
can I reclaim lost benefits wages?
My Ex- husband never paid any cola increases on his support to me. This was stated in the decree they should be increased as cola increased and also on the child support cost. He has never taking out a life insurance plan in the amount of 81, 000 to cover any cost should he die, What can I do? I can’t make it on my social security only. I am about to lose my home and plan to live. I can’t afford an attorney.
Cherie,
I’m afraid you have no ability to “do over” your claiming of Social Security benefits. Once benefits are claimed, the monthly payment is fixed except for Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) which may occur annually. However, if you worked after starting your SS benefits, Social Security monitored your earnings each year to see if you were entitled to a benefit increase because your more recent work earnings were more than those upon which your benefit was originally calculated and, if appropriate, they have already increased your benefit accordingly. So there is no chance for you to start over to get a higher Social Security payment.
Your situation with your ex-husband not paying his full support obligation is a legal matter, not a Social Security matter, so you would need to seek legal counsel to deal with that, and I’m not able to refer to you any attorney. You may wish to contact the Legal Aid Society where you live to see if pro bono assistance is available. You should be able to find a number for your State’s legal aid office via an internet search for “Legal Aid in (state name).”
If you are having difficulty paying your Medicare premiums, you might also wish to explore whether assistance is available through your State’s Medicare Savings Program which provides those with low income and few assets with assistance with Medicare premiums and co-pays. You can find out more about the Medicare Savings Program at this link: https://www.medicare.gov/medicare-savings-programs
Finally, you can go to this website sponsored by the National Council on Aging - www.benefitscheckup.org - where you can enter your zip code and obtain information about all types of assistance which may be available where you live.
Cherie, I hope this information is helpful. I wish we could do more, but we can only provide you with information about how Social Security works.
Russell Gloor
National Social Security Advisor
The AMAC Foundation