Hi Larry,
My father is eligible for divorced spouse benefits now that my mother has reached 66 and is receiving SS benefits. He is one year older and was not eligible for SS and Medicare based on his own earnings record. If he chooses to receive divorced spouse benefits and sign up for Medicare B, will he be hit with late penalties for Medicare Parts B and D? Seeing how he wouldn't have been able to sign up for Medicare without the divorced spouse benefit prior to my Mom filling. I realize he would be late per the rule, but he wouldn't qualify for SS or Medicare without my Mom.
Thank you.
Ben

Hi Ben,

Assuming that your father is a U.S. citizen or qualified resident alien, he could have signed up for parts B & D of Medicare when he reached age 65 even if he didn't qualify for Social Security benefits at that time (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0600805005). He could also have signed up for Part A of Medicare in that case, although a monthly premium would have been required.

So, yes, it sounds like your father will probably have to pay any applicable penalties for late enrollment in parts B & D of Medicare. For more information on Medicare, refer to this Social Security publication: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10043.pdf.

Best, Jerry