Disability benefit vs retirement

[Guest guest]

My whole understanding of this discussion of being able to collect SSDI once you are already receiving retirement benefits is that you can't collect twice. If you are collecting the maximum allowable benefit based on your overall contribution to Social Security over your working life then that is it. There is not anything else to apply for.

If however (and this is where the confusion comes in) if you retired early (say at 62) and you're collecting less than you would have if you retired later and you become disabled... you should apply for SSDI because once it's approved you will then be able to collect the full benefit amount instead of the lesser. This can be a significant difference. I know two people that went down this road and both were successful in having their benefit increased but it was because they had retired early and then became disabled and applied for SSDI.

All of this though is only my personal experience and knowledge and I may not have the most up to date info.

Beth

Age 48 Fibrotic NSIP 06/06

Change everything. Love and Forgive