Sep
11
2010
By Guest (not verified)
My ex and I were married 18 years, then divorced. He remarried and I remarried but am now single for 11 years. My ex is now on disability and is terminal. He was a physician abd made alot more money than I did. I am currently getting disability also. Will I receive my disability AND the full amount of his social security at that time? Believe me I earned it during the 18 year marriage. If not what will I receive?
Benefits based on ex-spouse's benefits
You will need to contact the SSA to for your particular case (age, wages etc.), but here is some background.
It sounds like you may qualify for some or all of the following benefits :
Regarding disability, if you are receiving Social Security disability benefits when you reach full retirement age, those benefits will be converted to retirement benefits.
Regarding survivor benefits, if you are the divorced spouse of a worker who dies, you could get benefits just the same as a widow or widower, provided that your marriage lasted 10 years or more.
Regarding retirement benefits, if you are divorced, but your marriage lasted 10 years or longer, you can receive benefits on your ex-spouse's record (even if he or she has remarried) if:
If you remarry, you generally cannot collect benefits on your former spouse's record unless your later marriage ends (whether by death, divorce or annulment).
If your ex-spouse has not applied for retirement benefits, but can qualify for them, you can receive benefits on his or her record if you have been divorced for at least two years.
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10035.html#retirement
http://www.ssa.gov/survivorplan/ifyou3.htm
http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/divspouse.htm