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Does The Benefit Rate Reduction For Disabled Widows Go Away At FRA?

Get What's Yours Chapter 12 Advantage 5, says that the reduction in benefits for disabled widows goes away at FRA.
Yet every person I contacted at SSA and other SS advisors/experts seem to think that one reduced, the reduction stays in place.
Assume a person is under 60 and receiving DIB and their disability is expected to continue until after FRA
Assume that their DIB/PIA is much smaller than their potential WIB/DWB benefit
If a person initally on DIB subsequently files for DWB prior to age 60, does the reduction in DWB go away at their FRA?
If a sperson initially on DIB files for WIB after age 60 (but prior to FRA) does the reduction of WIB benefits go away at FRA?

Thanks

Hi. As the book points out, the reduction for age applied to widow's or disabled widow''s benefits (DWB) for starting them prior to full retirement age (FRA) only goes away at FRA if the widow was entitled to Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits in their first month of entitlement to widow's benefits or DWB.

Therefore, the answer to both of the questions you pose is yes. Since both the widow and the disabled widow in your questions were already drawing SSDI when they became entitled to reduced survivor benefits, the reduction in their survivor rates would be removed at FRA when their SSDI benefits automatically convert to regular Social Security retirement benefits.

By the way, if a Social Security employee tells you differently, you should refer them to section RS 00615.350.C.3 of the Social Security operations manual (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300615350).

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
May 4 2023 - 11:54am
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