24help.org/bbb And a lot more guides here: 24help.org/guides

@Beth Youdis good questions, and it's two different clocks. Your SSDI turns into retirement at full retirement age (67 if you were born in 1960 or later), not at 65. That's when the CDRs and SGA earnings limits go away. 65 is about Medicare: that's when you get a new 6-month window to buy a Medigap supplement without them checking your health, even though you already have Medicare.

@Beth Youdis all my past live Q&As are saved on my YouTube channel under the "Live" tab: youtube.com/@MyGovExpert/streams. Or just jump on the next one live!

@David Bell hi David! Here's my free benefits checklist: 24help.org/benefits. Look it over and bring your questions!

@Stacey Bruce you did the right thing getting an attorney on the SSDI appeal. For your VA job, look at FERS disability retirement through OPM. You need at least 18 months of federal service, and you MUST apply within 1 year of leaving your job. That's the deadline not to miss. OPM also requires that you apply for SSDI, which you've already done. Start with your agency HR office while you're still on the rolls.

Katherine, I am not going to tell you whether there is fraud in your case - I do not have your file and I am not going to guess at it. What I can tell you is which levers actually move a case like this, because emailing the legislature is the slowest one on the list. First, the clock, and this is the most important thing in your whole message. Ask what the determination was and the date on it, then ask them to take an appeal. Generally you have 60 days. But if you file within 10 days you can ask for your payments to continue while it is being decided. Almost nobody is told about that 10-day window. Second, you are entitled to review your own claim file. If the decision rests on employment information you say is wrong, that file is where you find out what they actually have. A wrong earnings entry is corrected with form SSA-7008 and your W-2s or pay stubs. Third, not the legislature - your Congressman's DISTRICT office, the one in your part of North Carolina, not Washington. Ask for the Social Security caseworker by name and sign their privacy release the same day. They handle this daily and it costs you nothing. And right now, with eviction on the table, call 211. They route local rent, utility and emergency help in your county. If you believe this is misconduct rather than a mistake, oig.ssa.gov takes reports. Keep the two tracks separate though. The appeal is the thing that gets your check back. Keep fighting. Not letting it go is the right instinct.

@Katherine Stout that is fantastic news!! You didn't give up and it paid off. Thanks for coming back and letting us know. This will help a lot of people.

Tarrelton, that is almost certainly correct rather than an error, and Arthur is pointing you at the right document. Social Security does not post gross pay and it does not post adjusted gross income. It posts Social Security wages, which is Box 3 of the W-2. Box 3 is usually lower than gross pay because pre-tax health premiums, HSA contributions and some cafeteria plan deductions come out before Social Security tax is figured. It is also capped at that year's taxable maximum, so high earners always see a smaller number. One thing that does NOT lower it is a 401(k) contribution - that reduces Box 1, never Box 3. So compare her posted year against Box 3, not against Box 1 and not against the tax return. Nine times out of ten that is where the mystery goes away. If Box 3 genuinely does not match what is posted, that is form SSA-7008 with the W-2 attached. There is a three year limit on corrections, but it has a written evidence exception - so if you have the W-2 or the pay stubs, do not let anybody wave you off because the year is old.

@Tarrelton Peffer for self-employed folks, SSA doesn't post gross income. It posts net earnings from self-employment, which is her net profit after expenses, times 92.35%. So being $15k under her gross is pretty normal. Match it to the Schedule SE on her return for that year. If THAT number doesn't match, she can ask SSA to correct it with form SSA-7008.