Hi Larry,
I turned 65 October 2020. I am not signed up for Part A or Part B of social security. Do I now have to pay a penalty for not signing up for Part B medicare yet, or part A? I live in Germany and we have German health insurance. We may return to the States sometime but are not sure yet.
My husband is 65 also as of October 2020, he collects social security since age of 62 (early). He has one lung now, and would like to know if he can apply for a disability? What records must he show for this (medical records are all in German language) and how long would it take to have something like that processed?
Also, should I apply for social security now? Since I worked for the Germans as well for many years, I know that I will be hit with the windfall provision. Would it be better for me to take a spousal benefit instead of my own in this case?
Sorry for all the questions, I have your book but all of this is very confusing to us. Thank you for assisting.

Hi,

There would be no penalty for filing late for Part A of Medicare, provided that you're eligible for monthly U.S. Social Security benefits. However, unless you are covered under an employer group health plan (EGHP) you likely will have to pay a penalty if you apply for Part B of Medicare more than 3 months after the month in which you turned age 65.

Yes, your husband can apply for Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits. However, if your husband is already drawing his Social Security retirement benefits he can't be paid both retirement and SSDI benefits simultaneously. If his claim for SSDI is approved, his SSDI rate would be calculated by adjusting his retirement benefit rate to remove the reduction for age that was applied to his benefit rate for any months prior to his full retirement age (FRA) for which he qualifies for SSDI benefits.

For example, say Hank filed for his Social Security retirement benefits at age 62 in 2017. Hank's primary insurance amount (PIA), or FRA rate, is $1000, but his rate was reduced for age to $745. Hank is later determined to qualify for SSDI benefits effective with the month he turned age 65. Social Security would then remove the age reduction previously applied to Hank's PIA for the months prior to Hank's FRA that he qualifies for SSDI, raising his benefit rate from $745 to $805.

Social Security has a Division of International Operations (DIO) that handles claims filed by people in countries outside of the U.S. I'm sure that they have translators for all languages. I really don't have much of an idea how long it usually takes the DIO to process disability claims, but I imagine it takes quite a while. For information about filing for U.S. Social Security benefits while living in another country, refer to the following Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm.

You'll have to make your own decision about when to apply for your benefits. Since you were born after January 1 1954, whether you file for your own benefits or for spousal benefits you'll be deemed to be filing for both. You can only be paid essentially the higher of the 2 benefit rates, and your rate will be reduced for age if you start drawing prior to your FRA. You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry