Wife applied for benefits effective May1 . I applied for spouse benefits effective same date. I believe first check for May won’t be received until mid June. We still haven’t gotten any approval letter or notice. We both got a request for additional info back in March which we responded to (called a phone #, spoke to a person) and they seemed satisfied. I was told my application for spousal benefits won’t be approved until wife’s application for benefits is approved. That makes sense. I don’t want to waste a bunch of time calling to ask about status, but at some point if I don’t hear anything I should follow up, no? (Maybe I will check online one more time) ----------
oops… never mind. Just checked wife’s SS online and she has an approval letter - dated today! Sunday, kind of odd… Mine is still being processed but I am guessing will be approved soon unless they want to see a marriage certificate.
^H’s birthday is May 6th. He received his notification yesterday and will get his first payment June 12th.
He gets $33.70 prorated in May.
We slide into first base just before the law changed and I have been receiving 1/2 of his since I turned 66.
Our friends have advised to start the paperwork a few months ahead of time. And they warn the Medicare choices can be confusing.
I think you can apply 3 months in advance for SS. I had to go to the SS as mentioned before but all they did was sit me in front of a computer and have me fill in the same stuff is have done at home. They already had all our documents on record.
I was already in Medicare for almost a year before SS. Medicare B is simple enough - no choices to make (unless you do Medicare advantage which I don’t really understand). The supplemental and D can be confusing. There is a long Medicare thread.
Medicare can be very confusing. I just went through this, and because it’s it takes so much effort to get educated, my husband suggested I either go on the same supplement he’s on, or do my own research. I did my own research and what I learned from that experience is to first decide if you want a supplement or Medicare Advantage. After that decision it’s much easier to choose an option within that umbrella.