My wife just turned 62 in Sep. 2019. She has been receiving SSDI since 2003 for $1600 per month. Oct. that same year her benefits went from SSDI to SSI and her monthly Annuity went from $1600 to $1100. - Her full retirement age is 66.5 years. Why would her benefits drop so much? Any help would be welcome. Contacted OPM many of times, but all they say it's because she went on SSI.

Hi,

Just to clarify, SSI is the abbreviation used for Supplemental Security Income, which is a needs based benefit administered by Social Security. I assume what you are actually saying is that your wife's Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits were switched to Social Security retirement benefits when she reached age 62. If that's true, it should not have happened automatically.

The only way that your wife could have legally switched from drawing SSDI benefits to Social Security retirement benefits at age 62 is if she filed an application for Social Security retirement benefits. She almost certainly shouldn't have done that because SSDI benefits are unreduced whereas Social Security retirement benefits are reduced for age if you start drawing them prior to full retirement age (FRA). That reduction for age likely explains why your wife's benefit rate is now so much lower.

I have no idea how your wife could have filed for Social Security retirement benefits without realizing it, but I can't think of any other logical explanation. SSDI benefits are never automatically converted to Social Security retirement benefits prior to FRA, at which time the conversion doesn't result in a lower benefit rate. I also don't understand why you'd contact OPM (Office of Personnel Management) about this matter, since OPM administers the government employee retirement system, not Social Security. It sounds like your wife needs to contact Social Security to find out why she's no longer receiving SSDI, and ask them what she needs to do to rectify that problem.

Best, Jerry