Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
it was funny when my wife got the call back on the anticipated date from ss to activate her spousal . they asked her some questions about the marriage .
i was out of town working on a project and right after they hung up with her they called me and asked me the same questions verifying her answers .
I've been trying to get in since the first week of August, after receiving a notice that I needed to bring documents before 08/14. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday before 2 pm. They will not take appointments.
I've gone 6 times now. Waited in line outside for up to half an hour with disabled child in tow. Get inside for search/ metal detector finally sign in at computer kiosk. Take number, sit & wait. Disabled 13 yr old is 6' tall & 200 lbs & starts getting ancy. Loud. Contract cops start nervously pacing close to us.
Can't take him outside or else wait in line again. No food allowed. No using electronics. After 2 hr wait inside my number is called & I get told "sorry we already met the quota for that client issue today it's too late now" ( ? The letter says before 2 & it's not even noon yet?)
I'm told to be in line tomorrow before they open. To stand in line outside again with disabled child. Repeat this 6 times now, every time I get there earlier but I can't show up to stand outside with a disabled child in the dark ... that's not feasible. Now that school is in it's impossible as his transportation services do not arrive until 0830. Im worried that if I'm not there before 0900 I won't be out in time for his return at 1600 so now I have to go on a day when he has to be with me.
I'm concerned about the "officers" that are squaring off discretely at him, despite being told repeatedly that he is only 13. After the first time I looked the company up & there are several alleged assault cases & lawsuits open regarding disabled people being thrown to the ground, tazed, etc ...
Sorry just venting. But yes, once you get through all this the people are very nice! My son could possibly lose his benefits by Oct 1 st over this so ya'll know where I will be Monday morning.
And this is after they've had you go thru many prompts, hitting this or that button which doesn't apply
Then even asking for your SS upfront though the question is just a general question
No call back feature to keep your place in line like ebay has. Hmmm....
So...though I am home today purposefully so we can place a bid on a house, I need to keep the phone open. So waiting 1 hr 15 min isn't ok. But a call back to answer two quick questions would take up maybe 5 min time keeping the phone open.
I've also noticed when I take PTO and schedule it for medical needs, I need to keep the phone open. I cannot be gone long because it usually involves staying by the phone keeping it open. So cannot sit for 1 hr 15 minutes to wait.
They really do not want to hear from us.
In 2017...really, no call back feature?? and no way to just email questions?? And the "Chat lady" cannot answer it either? Simple questions that I do not need to give personal info for??
So many changes with SS. Who knows what to believe.... End of Rant thx for listening~
Consider the size of the public trying to reach them, compared with, say, Comcast. Millions of people trying to reach SS, and with a constrained federal budget, they can only hire so many people.
Would you vote to raise taxes so their budget can be increased, so they can hire more people? Would you vote for someone to be President who believes in government, so they would increase the budget in various agencies to ensure they work as well as they can? They may fail, but at least that person would try.
They probably don't let you leave your # because there is no chance that someone would be able to get back to you reasonably soon, if they're that busy. Again...millions of people get SS, many of whom have questions.
You may be better off asking in forums, and reaching someone who has been able to ask that question, or others who know. Or accessing the SS website, which is filled with information. Or accessing sites that answer SS questions.
Your best bet may be actually going to a SS office to ask. I had to get a replacement card in a big city. I thought it'd be a time consuming, drawn out, and unpleasant experience. Altho there was a line at the door when they opened, that place was so organized and orderly, that most of those people were taken care of in less than an hour. I walked out in less than an hour with a new card. And I had to even get a name change!
There are also better times of the day to call. I'm not sure, but I think right when they open in the morning would be a good time.
Years ago I made my way through the call maze at SS to get an answer
about being able to draw off a past 10 year marriage and she insisted that I could not because
I had remarried.
My 2nd husband had passed away and the guidelines clearly say
that you can't draw off a previous marriage if you remarry before 60 "unless that marriage ends in divorce, death or annulment". She said I was considered "remarried" even though I was a widow.
I asked her what the guideline wording meant about "unless ending in death,divorce"and she got mad and said I couldn't make up rules.
I was pretty sure she was wrong and wanted some confirmation so I called back weeks later and
asked the same question. Just my luck I got the same lady that was very rude and said I could not keep calling to get the answer I wanted.
I then made an appointment at my local SS office and was told that I was indeed correct all along.
I've been in Social Security offices a number of times over the last 2+ years doing things for my mother and dealing with a mis-reported earnings issue from one of my employers. The phone simply didn't work. My personal experience is that urban Social Security offices are stuffed full of people in their waiting room. The vast majority of them are nowhere near age 62. They appear to be there scamming SSDI. In rural offices, you walk in and nobody is there. There is no way in the world I'd deal with them on the telephone and there's no way in the world I'd ever again go to an urban Social Security office.
Yes, they always call back when you take that option. For a big gov. org. I think they do pretty well. Same with Medicare.
My first dealing with Medicare was when my FIL in the US was having memory issues but doing a good job of hiding them. We were living in Mexico (this was 2010) and monitoring his financials from afar. There were 3 other kids nearer to him, but he only trusted my husband. We noticed he hadn't paid his Medicare premium (retired Fed. employee with no SS, so he wrote checks (!) for monthly premiums).
We called Medicare and explained. By rights, they could have made us jump through a lot of hoops (proof who we were, what rights we had, permission from FIL). But they were kind, explained we could set up his account on auto pay and go on with our lives. We had other dealings at the same time with other important accounts of his...many were awful to deal with, no sympathy.
I have not had this issue. When I called for an appointment to apply (which I did today), I was given the option to hold or be called back in a particular amount of time (1 hour).
I chose the call back option and the call came as expected.
Very nice people, I set up an appointment. Went today, took my number, waited maybe five minutes and went right in and was seen by a lovely young woman who was professional and kind.
yes you can file at 62 for your own .that has nothing to do with your husband filing .as far as filing for spousal , you are deemed to file for spousal at the same time you file for yours .
so what ever age you file for your own an age marker is set for your spousal . you can't get a dime of spousal until your husband files .
so what happens is a spousal age marker is set at the age you file and remembered until your husband finally files ..
if you filed under your own fra for your benefit there is a formula that is used to determine your total benefit with spousal .
having filed for your own at 62 your total benefit will be 1/2 your husbands with a 30% reduction off that .
if that is more than your own ,your new amount goes in to effect as soon as your husband files .
but it is not automatically applied . you have to call them or go in , you can't do it on line , they will mesh the two accounts together and ask you and him some quick questions .
my wife filed at 62 for hers while i delayed . i just filed and now she is over her fra but that age marker was set when she filed early so even though her spousal now kicks in and she is over fra she still gets that permanent reduction on the spousal .
Perfect!! Thank you. I do not want to take spousal until much closer to the end.
This works out perfectly for my plan which is making a specific amt of money until a certain date. I can file and only get my own, he files getting his own then we both end up with higher paychecks. But at least it's delayed until he is 70 yrs old. Perfect.
I appreciate you always sharing your vast knowledge on this topic~
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
thx for listening~ 
