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Martha Shedden is RSSA’s President and Co-Founder. Read Martha’s responses to questions regarding Social Security. View all questions or browse by category. Submit your own question to Martha here.

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Can my adult disabled daughter collect Social Security from her dad and her disability benefit too?

Full question: My ex husband began collecting his Social Security at age 62. We have an adult disabled daughter (disability began at age 2) and she receives her own SSDI. Is she allowed to claim part of her dads Social Security and keep her own SSDI? Hi there, Thank you for your question about your…

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Can I receive a child-in-care survivor benefit for my adult disabled child?

Full question: Can I receive child care benefits on my deceased ex husband, for our adult disabled child, who is collecting SSDI on his benefits? I’m 58. Hello, Thank you for your child-in-care survivor benefit question. Yes, if you are younger than age 60 and taking care of a disabled adult child, you may be…

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If I claim spousal benefits through my husband’s Railroad Benefits, will it make me claim my Social Security benefit too?

Full question: I am hoping you will be able to assist in answering a question related to spousal benefits that potentially may involve coordination between the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). I plan to take my full retirement benefits at age 67 through SSA. I am currently 62. I do…

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If I switch from Railroad spousal benefits to my own retirement benefit at 70, will I still receive delayed credits?

Full question: My wife retired from the railroad at 63. I am collecting a railroad spousal annuity at 65. When i switch at 70 to my own Social Security which is higher than my Railroad spousal annuity, do i get the delayed Social Security credits from 66 and 6 months to 70? Hello, Thank you…

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Will my wife’s non-covered foreign pension be subject to the GPO?

Full question: My wife is Italian and will collect a work pension from a UK University which is non-covered, in terms of Social Security. I collect SS benefits for about 19 years of covered work in the US. Will my wife’s non-covered University pension be subject to GPO, and so reduced? Hello, Thank you for…

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How do I switch from survivor benefits to my own retirement benefits?

Full question: Currently, I am collecting survivor benefits (wife deceased). I am 69 and I want to switch to my own Social Security benefits as it is much higher. What is the form name/number that I must complete? What information/documentation will I need to provide? (I have spent time looking for this information on the…

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