My best friends husband died last January. They had been married 9 years. They live in Indiana. She is 58 years old. She was told that she cannot draw Survivors benefits until she is 60 years old. Is this right? Her doctors have been saying she should not return to work because of health reasons. She has been going through battles to get SSDI for years. And is currently appealing her case. Why would they make widows wait until they are 60 for survivors benefits? Or was she told the wrong info ? Thank you.

Hi,

Your friend could only qualify for widow's benefits earlier than age 60 if she's disabled. The medical definition of a disabling impairment is the same for both disabled widow's benefits (DWB) and Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits, so she may not qualify for DWB unless she ends up being approved for SSDI.

It sounds like your friend may want to consider filing for DWB, even though her claim may be disallowed since that's what's apparently happened to her claim for SSDI benefits. If her DWB claim is disallowed she would then have a right to appeal that decision. Even if she doesn't end up qualifying for DWB, though, she could still file for regular reduced widow's benefits at age 60.

Best, Jerry