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EricW236758
Conversationalist ⭐
April 18, 2026

If my wife applies for Social Security now

  • April 18, 2026
  • 11 replies
  • 2826 views

My 62 year old wife is being treated for  stage three breast cancer, and she is currently receiving care via Medicaid.  She does not have any income of her own, she is not now receiving any Social Security benefits, and as of the moment, our only source of money are my Social Security Disability Benefits, which are around $2,000 a month.  Also, I'm 64 years old.

 

We are wondering if my wife can apply for Social Security early due to her cancer diagnosis, and due to the fact that she is unable to work.  Also, if she begins receiving Social Security in the near future, how would that effect her Medicaid benefits, and is there a chance that her medical benefits could be interrupted or stopped during her cancer treatment. 

 

We are in a very very tight place financially, but I'm afraid to make any moves which might jeopardize her medical care.  Also, I have tried reaching out to several non profits who provide cancer support, but so far the only thing I've gotten back are AI generated emails.  Any info greatly appreciated. 

 

 

 

 

      11 replies

      GailL1
      GailL1
      Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
      April 20, 2026

       

      Sorry you and your wife are going thru such a hard time.

       

      Now to answer your questions.

      SSA.gov-Who Can Get Family Benefits 

       

      Yes, from what you have said about her situations and yours, at 62 she would be eligible for early retirement from her own benefits as well as her Spousal benefits since you are receiving SSDI.    She would get the amount that is the higher of the two benefits and SSA would evaluate that when she files. 

       

      However since she is filing at an earlier age than her full retirement age, the benefit will be somewhat reduced.  

      SSA.gov-Starting Your Retirement Benefits Early 

       

      If she has any minor children for whom she cares for, she may also be entitled to an auxilliary benefit amount called a “child in care. 

       

      IF she has very little to NO work history of her own then the Spousal benefit will be her only benefit and it is gonna be based on (at the most) 50% of your benefit which is your PIA for SSDI LESS the reduction factor for taking it early - so a rough guess would be that she would be gettin between 30% - 35% of your benefit; so not much but I know every little bit counts.

       

      MEDICAID is a state program and there are several different types under the state’s umbrella of Medicaid.  Is it a MAGI MEDICAID which she gets thru the ACA or the Marketplace because of the family having a low income?  Or is it some other type ?  Various states have an array of different programs and knowing which one she is on would help to determine the eligibility level and if the Spousal benefit would push the income over the limits of eligibility.

       

      ALL types of MEDICAID eligibility has to do with having low income but the types vary for counting certain assets and resources and how they work.  There are even some ways that the income can have a spend down amount that would help to create eligibility, if available to her in the state where you live.  

       

      Yes, your wife getting some sort of Social Security benefit would count as income against Medicaid but how this would affect her and her coverage needs to be defined by the state where she is getting her Medicaid benefit.

       

      MEDICAID.gov-EligibilityPolicy 

       

      There is even a Medicaid State program for Individuals Needing Treatment for Breast or Cervical Cancer.

       

      KFF.org - State Eligibility for Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program (BCCTP) Timeframe: As of July 1, 2021 

       

      from the link [ copy/paste[

      The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program (BCCTP) is an optional program for states to extend Medicaid coverage to uninsured persons who are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer. While this program is a state option, all states participate. States can choose to extend Medicaid eligibility to persons screened or diagnosed with funding from the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) or, more broadly, persons screened under the NBCCEDP program, regardless of the funding source or diagnosis site.

       

      She will need to discuss her Medicaid coverage with the state’s office of Medicaid or if she has a caseworker, speak to that individual.

       

      Thinking about you and your wife during these hard times.  Hope this helps a bit.

       

       

      IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
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        EricW236758Author
        Conversationalist ⭐
        April 21, 2026

        Thank you, Gail. Your answers are always very helpful.

         

        I've taken a look through my wife's Medicaid documents, but I'm unable to determine which type of Medicaid she actually has, and the people at the county level are not so good at returning calls.  Could you possibly give me an idea of what sort of verbiage/buzzwords I should be looking for in order to identify the type of Medicaid she might have?  I hate to admit it, but I have no idea what I'm looking at, and this is a little bit over my head.

         

        We are currently living in Onslow County in North Carolina, and it looks like we will probably spend the rest of our years here.  I would like to be able to sit down and speak with an advocate face to face, but there doesn't seem to be anyone like that in my area.  I tried talking to a someone at the local community center, but every time I asked something, the person on the other side of the desk would simply type my question into Google, and read back whatever the search result said.  

         

        At any rate, it appears that her Medicaid might be in jeopardy, and the first thing I need to do is to determine which type of Medicaid she actually has, is that correct?

          SereneSeagull
          SereneSeagull
          Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
          April 21, 2026

          @EricW236758 , I agree with you on how helpful her answers are, as are the others who jump into this particular topic with incredibly helpful information.  I find myself hoping they jump into them, and they always do.  So glad there are those who can do that. 👍

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