Dear Larry, I am on Social Security now, but my condition has gotten worse since I started receiving benefits. I want to know if I can apply for Social Security Disability instead of Social Security retirement benefits?

Hi,

If you became disabled at least 6 months before you reached full retirement age (FRA), and if you are now still under age 67, then yes you can still apply for disability benefits. Social Security disability benefits are essentially the same as your unreduced retirement benefits. However, if you start reduced retirement benefits and later become entitled to disability benefits before reaching FRA, your benefit rate is recalculated to remove some of the original reduction.

For example, if a person files for reduced retirement benefits at 62, their benefit rate is reduced by about 25%. If that person became entitled to disability benefits at age 64, their rate would be recalculated to remove about 12% of the original reduction. If there's no disability entitlement before the person reaches FRA, then the 25% reduction becomes permanent.

Applications for disability benefits can be retroactive for up to 12 months, so if you are already age 67 or older, there is no longer any chance of establishing entitlement to disability benefits. Also, you must be disabled for a full 5 months before disability entitlement begins, so you can't be entitled to disability benefits if you're already within 5 months of FRA or older when onset of the disability occurs.

Best, Jerry