I retired with over 20 years of active duty not long ago. I was told that I would not be able to draw Social Security when I am 62 years old because military retirees can not draw two retirements from the goverment. Is this fair while I was on active duty I was required to paying into the social security system? I did have years that I worked and payed in to the social security system before going into the military. Can I draw Social Security from my civilian time I payed into the system?
Thanks

I just took a disability retirement from the Social Security Administration. At one time US military did not pay into Social Security, before 1957 thus can not draw such or maybe an offset. If all your service was after 1957 and it sounds if it was don't worry. Currently I recv. military retirement, social secuity disability.

SF
Don

My husband is receiving a VA Disability and he is knocking on the door for his social security and he also paid into before during and after his service to this country and I just learned that he may not be allowed social security. He can get it if he gives up his disability. Not fair to the soldier who pays into the system and can't collect when he reaches that magic number.

Absolutely nothing is fair about the socialist Social Security system. Its rate of return is shameful, and if you or I tried to create a similar system we would be arrested.

It was designed from inception as a pyramid scheme. There is no cache of funds, rather, it is funded from the currently contributing to the currently receiving (Google search "Ida Mae Fuller"). As with any pyramid, it requires fresh blood to continue feeding the top. A demographic shift (for example, a boom of babies in a particular era), will severely disrupt such a pyramid. In that situation, the pyramid inverts, and the top is larger than the base. Only one thing can happen under that situation. Just another ill-advised socialist program gone wrong.

If you gave me the opportunity to forgoe all future "benefits" with the stipulation that I would still have to pay into the system for another 10 years, I would do it.

Sorry to burst any ones bubble. You can collect Military retirement, full Social Security, and VA disability benifits. Every one needs to go to the SS web sight. The off set for SS has to do with the Servivers benifit plan and the law is changing on that.
If you were in the army before 1957 you get SS credit for those years and that credit is used to calculate your SS benifit. The SS web sight lists all of the required documents you must bring in when you apply for SS. One Item is a copy of All DD214s.

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

Gerald is correct in the last post. I am drawing all three programs. In the beginning, the VA took what they gave me from my retired pay, but with the approval of Concurrent Receipt I am getting about 65% of my retired pay now and will be getting all of it by Oct 2009.

Who ever told the first poster that you could not draw SS and military retirement does not know what he is talking about. Now there are a few people who retired and then went to work with civil service, who did not pay into SS, they get a reduced rate of SS for just the time they were in the military. There is a very small number of people like this.

As to the money in SS. Our great government keeps taking the excess out of the SS Trust Fund and spending it. O, there is a trust fund, it is full of IOU's signed by Uncle Sam. There would be a lot more money in the trust fund if it had stayed there and been invested as was in the original plan. You are correct, with the Baby Boomers coming on now, there will be more drawing than paying into the system.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

Grover we agree on this one. I receive 100% SC, SSDI and private disability. I was 30% SC when I started receiving private.

I could have gotten SSDI 4 years before but no one told me I was eligible. In fact I would have gotten 100% 4 years earlier - I was at 70% if I had realized that my disability had gotten that much worse.

quote:

Originally posted by 8940201:
My husband is receiving a VA Disability and he is knocking on the door for his social security and he also paid into before during and after his service to this country and I just learned that he may not be allowed social security. He can get it if he gives up his disability. Not fair to the soldier who pays into the system and can't collect when he reaches that magic number.

If your husband is collecting VA Compensation for a service connected injury he should be elegible for Social Security, or if not, depending on his disability he can apply for SSD. I'm 100% S/C and also collect SSD. It is legal. Talk to a good National Service Officer. They should have some good info.

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

Your husband can draw SS and VA Disability at the same time. I am drawing both of them, in fact I am drawing SSDI and have been since I was 51. I am now 62.

There is one military retired person here in town that says he did not pay into SS while in the military and therefore is only drawing a small amount that he did pay in on jobs outside of the military. I still do not know who he got by not paying into SS.

I do not understand how or why your husband is being told that he would have to give up his VA to draw SS.

Now, if you are drawing the widow pay from the VA, not the DIC, and you start drawing SS, you will have to give up the VA, you can only draw one. On the other hand you can draw the DIC and SS at the same time.

I hope and pray this helps some, if you need more information, just post your questions here.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

My husband draws 100% service connected VA disability, social security, and Civil Service annuity. He wants me to find out how much I will collect as a widow. Where do I look? Glena

Greetings and special blessings to one and all

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Glena, if your husband has been 100% disabled and service connected for 10 years and you have been married to him during that time period you will be able to draw DIC. Right now if you draw DIC they will deduct your SPB from it if your husband is retired. However, the Congress should be changing that any day now.

I will guide you to the location at www.va.gov to find the followings that I am posting here. At the home page, put the mouse on Benefits on the left side of the screen, more drop downs will appear, click on the first one, Compensation and Pension, then move down the page some and click on Survivor Benefits Home Page, then click on Death After Service. This will bring up a list of benefits, the first one is the DIC. I am posting it here now:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
What Is DIC?
DIC is a monthly benefit paid to eligible survivors of a
• military service member who died while on active duty, OR
• veteran whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease, OR
• veteran whose death resulted from a non service-related injury or disease, and who was receiving, or was entitled to receive, VA Compensation for service-connected disability that was rated as totally disabling
- for at least 10 years immediately before death, OR
- since the veteran’s release from active duty and for at least five years immediately preceding death, OR
- for at least one year before death if the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999.

Who Is Eligible?
The surviving spouse if he or she:
• validly married the veteran before January 1, 1957, OR
• was married to a service member who died on active duty, OR
• married the veteran within 15 years of discharge from the period of military service in which the disease or injury that caused the veteran’s death began or was aggravated, OR
• was married to the veteran for at least one year, OR
• had a child with the veteran, AND
• cohabited with the veteran continuously until the veteran’s death or, if separated, was not at fault for the separation, AND
• is not currently remarried.*
Note: A surviving spouse who remarries on or after December 16, 2003, and on or after attaining age 57, is entitled to continue to receive DIC.
The surviving child(ren), if he/she is:
• not included on the surviving spouse’s DIC
• unmarried AND
• under age 18, or between the ages of 18 and 23 and attending school.
Note: Certain helpless adult children are entitled to DIC. Call the toll-free number below for the eligibility requirements.
The surviving parent(s) may be eligible for an income-based benefit. See our fact sheet, Parents’ DIC.

How Much Does VA Pay?
The basic monthly rate of DIC is $1,067 for an eligible surviving spouse. The rate is increased for each dependent child, and also if the surviving spouse is housebound or in need of aid and attendance. VA also adds a transitional benefit of $250 to the surviving spouse’s monthly DIC if there are children under age 18. The amount is based on a family unit, not individual children. Benefit rate tables, including those for children alone and parents, can be found on the Internet at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates or call the toll-free number below.

How Should a Claimant Apply?
Claimants should complete VA Form 21-534 Application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, Death Pension and Accrued Benefits by a Surviving Spouse or Child.

What Are Some Related Benefits?
Health Care (CHAMPVA) Federal Employment Preference
Home Loan Guaranty Survivors' & Dependents' Educational Assistance
For More Information, Call Toll-Free 1-800-827-1000
or Visit VA’s Web Site at www.va.gov.
Compensation and Pension Service – January 2007

Reference the SS, you will draw what your husband is drawing now once he is gone. Right now once you start drawing SS, you can get half of what your husband gets unless your own SS is over half of his. My wife is drawing her small amount and the rest off of mine to give her an amount equal to half of mine.

I do not know anything about the Civil Service.

In some cases you can draw the DIC if your husband has been 100% disabled and service connected for 5 years.

I trust this helps, if you have more questions let me know. You can go to www.SocialSecurity.Gov for SS information.

May God richly bless and keep you and your family.

In His Service,

Grover

Hello all

I could use a little help. I've spent over 20 yrs of active federal service. (US Army) I also receive 100% VA benefit as I am unable to work. (I joined back in 87). Before that I worked on a federal Installation and I worked in a fast food joint before I joined the ARMY. Can I receive SS ? also is there an "Extened scale" of payments from the VA if your percentage goes over 100% ?

I hope that someone can help me. I want to get every benefit that I am entitled to.


P.S. If I can get SS can I get that for life or will it cut off after a pre-determined set of time.

I thank you in advance for your help on this matter....

NeedfulVet

You may be eligible for Social Security Disability based on your military service. There is an extended scale for over 100%, but require 160% with the additional disabilities totaling 60% and not related to another disability.

We have tried to figure out how much this means in money and guess is is about $300 - the rules on that are not clear. The VA will automatically award this if you are eligible. Almost no one is qualified.

Do you receive CDRP or CRSC?

Greetings and special blessings to NeedfulVet. Welcome to the Forum. Once you reach 65 plus it will change to regular SS.

You should be able to get SSDI, It will not decrease over time, but will increase with the cost of living adjustments.

You need to get a very good lawyer, try to find one that only does SS Disability cases. They use to get 25% with a max of $4,000.00. You have to be disabled for 1 year before you can apply. I have known people who were 100% VA and could not get anything from SS and on the other hand people who were drawing SSDI and could not get anything from the VA.

SSDI is all or nothing, not like the VA. Do you have any combat service connected disabilities?? The CRSC is tax free, you have to pay tax on the CRDP as I am sure you know. Your CRDP/CRSC can not exceed your retired pay, if your retired pay is less than your VA.

You can visit the home page at www.vetspac,com for more information on CRSC.

If you have any more questions, please post them here.

Another item to check on, do you have whole life insurance?? Do you have a disability rider on your policy?? I found that I had riders on two of my larger policies. I applied and both companies gave me my premiums back to my date of disability. I got some $5,000.00 from each company and they are now paying my premiums. If they start paying your premiums before you reach age 60 they will keep paying them for life. If they start after you reach 60 they will stop when you reach 65. That is the case for mine, some other companies may be different.

May God richly bless and keep you and your family.

In His Service,

Grover

6 months on SSDI.

quote:

Originally posted by NeedfulVet:
Hello all

I could use a little help. I've spent over 20 yrs of active federal service. (US Army) I also receive 100% VA benefit as I am unable to work. (I joined back in 87). Before that I worked on a federal Installation and I worked in a fast food joint before I joined the ARMY. Can I receive SS ? also is there an "Extened scale" of payments from the VA if your percentage goes over 100% ?

I hope that someone can help me. I want to get every benefit that I am entitled to.


P.S. If I can get SS can I get that for life or will it cut off after a pre-determined set of time.

I thank you in advance for your help on this matter....

NeedfulVet

I thank you kindly to all who responded to my query (In reverse order):

Dave_M (2 times)
Grover1945

to Dave_M: I have just filled for the CRDP/CRSC benefit. It seems it takes 2 months for them to get back with me. So I'll have to wait. If I get a chance to choose, I'll choose the CRSC.

To Grover1945: I have just recently tried to get insurance from a major carrier (Met-Life) its still in the works. However they are requiring a lot of info.. (ya know what I mean)
So I think I'll just fill out the VA's Service Disabled Vets Insurance (SDVI) since it will be "free" for the fact of my 100% disability and Unemployable status. Also I should get free dental care as well (I think). If all fails. I could say: "I tried and failed. Is better than wondering {If I had..}"

I thank you all for the fountain of help and/or assistance that you've given me. I thank all that sent info from the top, middle & bottom of my heart. GOD bless each of you and may he richly bless you and yours each day. Peace to all

NeedfulVet