Social Security Q&A

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
Published Saturday, November 08, 2003

Q: I know the retirement age is going up. I was born in 1940 and I have to be age 65 and 6 months to get my full Social Security benefit. But I am also a widow. Is the age when widows can get Social Security also going up?

A: Yes, it is, at the same rate the retirement age is going up. So you would also have to be age 65 and 2 months to collect your full widow's benefit. But, as with retirement, the age at which you can get reduced benefits has not changed. Retirees can still start their benefits at age 62 if they want, and widows or widowers can get their benefits as early as age 60.

Q: I plan to take my Social Security in a couple of years when I turn 65 and 6 months (the age when I can get my full benefit). My wife is not a U.S. citizen. She is 45 years old. We have a 5-year-old daughter. Will they get any of my Social Security? If so, how much?

A: Your daughter definitely will be due benefits. She'll get a rate equal to 50 percent of your benefit until she is 18 years old. If you die before then, it goes up to a 75 percent rate. Your wife will probably also be due the same 50/75 percent rate. As long as she is living in the United States legally, the fact that she's not a U.S. citizen has no bearing on her eligibility. But like any other beneficiary, your wife will be subject to an earnings rule that says if she's working and making more than $11,520, we've got to take $1 from her benefits for every $2 she makes over that threshold.

Q: I have a severe case of high blood pressure. It keeps me from working. I want to apply for disability benefits, but a friend told me that high blood pressure alone may not qualify me. Is this true?

A: You could qualify for Social Security disability benefits if you are "insured" (meaning you've worked and paid Social Security taxes for a long enough period of time) and if your high blood pressure is so severe (and can't be controlled by medication) that it is expected to keep you from doing your current job, or any work you're suited for, for at least a year.

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