My husband started getting SSDI in 2018 at the age of 58. He just passed away in June age 60. I’m age 61. I was also declared disabled in 2020. I didn’t pay much into social security because I was mostly a stay at home mom for 38 years. Will I be granted his SSDI now that he’s passed. Social Security doesn’t tell me anything until my phone appointment I’ve got coming up at the end of this month. I still have bills to pay but no income and wondering if I need to get a job.

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. Since you are over age 60, being disabled isn't a requirement for qualifying for widow's benefits. Nor would being disabled increase your widow's benefit amount.

To get your husband's full Social Security disability (SSDI) amount, you'd need to wait until your full retirement age (FRA) to start collecting widow's benefits. If you start drawing before then, your widow's rate will be reduced for age. If you were insured for either Social Security retirement or disability benefits, then you would have many additional filing options. But, I won't go into those since you indicate that you aren't eligible for benefits based on your own earnings history.

Assuming that you can't qualify for benefits based on your own earnings history, you'll just need to decide if you want to wait until your FRA to get your highest possible widow's rate, or start drawing sooner at a lower monthly rate. Social Security should be willing to inform you of your potential benefit rates even before your appointment, and if you get that information you could use our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze all of your options so that you can determine the best overall strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry