What is the difference between VA survivor benefit and social security widow’s benefits? Can I collect both? My full retirement age is 67. Can I retire at 65 using my late ex husband social security? Will I be penalized?

Hi. My expertise is limited to Social Security benefits, so I can't answer any questions about VA benefits. What I can tell you is that if you receive VA benefits, it would have no adverse effect on any type of Social Security benefits for which you are eligible.

You don't mention whether or not you're eligible for your own Social Security benefits, so I don't what options you may have. In any case, though, if you qualify for Social Security survivor benefits and if you start drawing them prior to your full retirement age (FRA) your benefit rate will be reduced for age. However, if your ex-spouse collected reduced Social Security retirement benefits prior to his death then your maximum potential survivor rate would be reached at some point prior to when you reach your FRA. In that case there would be no real penalty for claiming your survivor benefits early.

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