You, or Your Family Members, May Be Eligible for Increased Benefits
Our mission is to deliver Social Security services that meet the changing needs of the public.
It's not unusual for a benefit recipient's circumstances to change after they apply or became eligible for benefits. If you, or a family member, receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), certain life changes may affect eligibility for an increase in your federal benefits. For example, if your spouse or ex-spouse dies, you may become eligible for a higher Social Security benefit.
To find out if you, or a family member, might be eligible for a benefit based on another person’s work, or a higher benefit based on your own work, see the information about benefits on the Social Security website. You can also use the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) to find out if you could get benefits that Social Security administers. Based on your answers to questions, this tool will list benefits for which you might be eligible and tell you more information about how to qualify and apply.
The questions and answers below are about a few of the life changes that could possibly increase your benefits.
Has your spouse or ex-spouse died?
If your spouse or ex-spouse has died, you may be eligible for a higher survivor benefit based on his or her work. The death of an ex-spouse may allow you to be eligible for a higher survivor benefit even if you are already receiving a survivor benefit on another spouse.
IMPORTANT: If you are receiving benefits, there are certain life events that you are required to report. For a complete list, please select the publication below that applies to the type of benefits you receive.
NOTE: Failure to report a change may result in an overpayment.
What You Need To Know When You Get Retirement Or Survivors Benefits
What You Need To Know When You Get Social Security Disability Benefits
(Pages 11-18)
What You Need To Know When You Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
(Pages 7-19)
Contacting Social Security
Our website is a valuable resource for information about all of Social Security's programs. There are a number of things you can do online.
In addition to using our website, you can call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. We treat all calls confidentially. We can answer specific questions from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Generally, you’ll have a shorter wait time if you call during the week after Tuesday. We can provide information by automated phone service 24 hours a day. (You can use our automated response system to tell us a new address or request a replacement Medicare card.) If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
We also want to make sure you receive accurate and courteous service. That is why we have a second Social Security representative monitor some telephone calls.
Related Information
- Retirement Planner
- Disability Planner
- Survivors' Planner
Disability Benefits | You're Approved (En español)
Generally, if your application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is approved, you must wait five months before you can receive your first SSDI benefit payment. This means you would
receive your first payment in the sixth full month after the date we find that your disability began. Example: Your disability began on June 15, 2020 and you applied on July 1, 2020. Your first benefit would be paid for the month of December 2020, the sixth full month of disability. However, there is no waiting period if your disability results from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and you are approved for SSDI benefits on or after July 23, 2020. Example: We found that your
disability began on November 3, 2020 and you applied on January 11, 2021. We would pay your first benefit for the month of December 2020, the first full month of disability. We pay SSDI benefits in the month following the month for which they are due. This means that the benefit due for December 2020 would be paid to you in January 2021, and so on. The amount of your monthly SSDI benefit is based on your lifetime average earnings covered by Social
Security. If you don't already have an estimate, you can get your Social Security Statement online with your personal my Social Security account or use our Benefit Calculators to determine how much you could get if you became disabled right now.When Your Benefits Start
How Much You Will Receive
Other Payments May Affect Your Disability Benefits
If you receive certain other government benefits, such as workers' compensation, public disability benefits, or pensions based on work not covered by Social Security (e.g., some government or foreign employment), the Social Security benefits payable to you and your family may be reduced.
For more information about how these benefits can affect your Social Security payments, please refer to the following publications:
- How Workers' Compensation And Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefit;
- Windfall Elimination Provision; or
- Government Pension Offset.
Related Information
- Income Taxes And Your Social Security Benefits.
Medicare Coverage If You're Disabled
We automatically enroll you in Original Medicare (Parts A and B) after you get disability benefits for two years. However, if your disability results from ALS, Medicare coverage begins sooner, generally the first month you are eligible for disability benefits.
- Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) helps pay for inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, and some home health care. The taxes you paid while you were working financed this coverage. It’s provided at no cost to you.
- Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps pay doctors' services, outpatient care, some medical supplies, and other preventive services. You will need to pay a monthly premium for this coverage if you want it.
Most people have both parts of Medicare. If you have questions about this coverage, you can contact Medicare toll-free at 1-800-MEDICARE(1-800-633-4227) to speak to a Medicare Customer Service Representative. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
The Other Parts of Medicare
- Medicare Advantage Plan (previously known as Part C) – people with Medicare Parts A and Part B can choose to receive all of their health care services through plans that are offered by private companies and approved by Medicare. For more information, we recommend you read Medicare's How do Medicare Advantage Plans work?
- Medicare Part D (Medicare prescription drug coverage) helps pay for medications doctors prescribe for treatment. For more information on the enrollment periods for Part D, we recommend you read Medicare's How to get prescription drug coverage page.
If you receive Medicare and have limited resources and income, you may be eligible for Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs.
Help for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries
If you get Medicare and have low-income and few resources, your state may pay your Medicare premiums and, in some cases, other Medicare costs for which you are normally responsible, such as deductibles and coinsurance.
Only your state can decide if you qualify for this assistance. To find out if you qualify, contact your state or local welfare office or Medicaid agency.
For additional information about the program, please go to the Medicare's Get help paying costs page.
If you need additional information about the other parts of Medicare, please read the "Who Can Get Medicare?" section of our Medicare booklet or visit Medicare.gov.
Publications
- Disability Benefits
- What You Need To Know When You Get Social Security Disability Benefits
- Other Disability Publications