Hello, I am currently 61 about to turn 62 this month. I am on SSDI since Aug 2020. I'm recieving $1747 after my payment for AandB Medicare. What happens when I reach my retirement age? Will I collect that as well? Or at least get that amount of which I would recieve if I retired? What other benefits am I allowed? My husband works I get medical ins through his WORK, due to offices being closed still because of COVID it's not possible to just go in. Not sure where to find this information. Thank you.

Hi. No. Nothing will change when you reach age 62 or full retirement age (FRA), other than at your FRA your SSDI benefits will convert to regular Social Security retirement benefits at the same benefit rate. You can't be paid both SSDI benefits and Social Security retirement benefits at the same time because they are essentially the same benefit. Qualifying for SSDI simply allows you to collect your full retirement age Social Security retirement benefit rate at an earlier age.

Nor will you become eligible for additional medical benefits in the future, at least through Social Security or Medicare. Medicare eligibility starts with the earlier of age 65 or the 25th month of a person's entitlement to disability benefits from Social Security. In other words, qualifying for SSDI simply made you eligible for Medicare coverage sooner than you would have otherwise gotten it.

If you switched to drawing retirement benefits prior to FRA then you'd receive a lower monthly benefit rate because your benefit rate would then be reduced for age. The only times that a person may want to consider switching from SSDI to regular retirement benefits prior to FRA is if their SSDI benefits are being offset because they're also receiving worker's compensation or public disability benefits (PDB), or if they have a spouse or child who could collect higher auxiliary benefits if the disabled worker was collecting retirement benefits instead of SSDI.

Best, Jerry.