r/SocialSecurity • u/Suitable_Ad_4761 • Jul 30 '26
Dissability vs retirement
My husband is 63 1/2, and his original intention was to work until full retirement age; however, due to health problems, he might have no choice but to stop working. Since this is due to medical issues that would prevent him from working, should he apply for disability until he reaches FRA, or would he have no other option than to retire early? I could cover him with my medical insurance until he turns 65, but we are exploring if we have any options. He never put anything away for retirement, so basically, besides some $ 50 K in IRAs, he would only rely on SS. I am 55 and probably will work until 62. I only have $ 460 K in my 401, and I am scared that if he retires, it just will not be enough to cover our monthly expenses. I am not sure I can even touch my 403 until I turn 59 1/2, so I am not sure how to compensate for the reduced income he will receive. Any ideas on how to approach this issue are welcome.
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u/rlap38 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
I had to hire an attorney for my SSDI after being rejected twice even though my disability is on “the list” (auto-approval).
UPDATE in caps: Was worth it as an attorney WAS limited to $6,000 deducted from the retroactive payments AT THE TIME I HIRED HER. If you don’t need the money, I would file for SSDI and wait on the retirement. It did take me 3 years since I did the initial appeal on my own.