Hello,
Thank u for such a great service!
I am currently collecting disabled widows benefits. I am turning 66yrs old next week. Should I apply for my own retirement benefit? Would that take the place of the disability widow benefit? They just sent me a new Medicare card changing the "W" to a "D4” along with a letter that I cannot work which I've not done since 2008. Anyway.... thanks. G

Hi G,

You would probably only want to apply for retirement benefits on your own record if the benefit amount would be higher than your widow's benefit rate. And, if your retirement rate is higher, it would probably be more advantageous for you to wait until age 70 to apply. You would only be eligible to receive the higher of the 2 benefits, not both.

You may want to consider running the maximization software available on this website in order to explore all of your options.

Best, Jerry