Editor’s Note: After a long career in the data processing industry, Russell Gloor joined the Association of Mature American Citizens in 2013. Gloor received training from the National Social Security Association and was accredited by the NSSA® as a Social Security adviser in 2016. Currently part of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory team, he annually counsels thousands of American seniors about their Social Security options. In addition to answering Social Security questions daily, he also authors the AMAC Foundation’s nationally syndicated weekly “Ask Rusty” advice column and has written three instructional books about Social Security.

Dear Rusty: I retired at my full retirement age, am now 79 and will be 80 in December. I have been working consistently since. I get a meager Social Security benefit, only about $800 due to my federal retirement offset. Most jobs I have held since filing and collecting Social Security have involved very labor-intensive work, to include my current position. This has taken a toll. My question: is there any provision in Social Security that permits re-evaluation of Social Security benefits for disability after one has collected and paid into the system for some 15 years? I suspect not but thought I would ask, since at my not so tender age, I am faced with having to cease employment that generates needed income. Signed: Working Still at 79

Dear Working Still: I’m afraid Social Security Disability Insurance benefits are no longer available once you reach your Social Security “full retirement age,” or “FRA,” which for you was age 66. Indeed, anyone collecting SSDI at full retirement age is automatically converted to their regular Social Security retirement benefits at the same amount they were previously receiving on SSDI. That’s because SSDI benefits are intended to sustain workers up to their Social Security full retirement age, but SSDI goes away once FRA is attained.

Thus, the provision to apply for Social Security disability allows only those who have not yet reached their full retirement age to seek disability benefits. Once FRA is reached, SSDI benefits are no longer available. Simply for your awareness, there would be no financial advantage for you to receive Social Security disability benefits anyway, because the most you can get on SSDI is your full retirement age amount. Thus, since you retired and claimed Social Security at your full retirement age, no additional disability amount would be available anyway.

I admire, at your “tender age,” that you are still actively working, but I’m afraid you cannot claim more now on Social Security disability because you’ve already reached your FRA. However, from what you’ve written, your Social Security retirement benefit has been affected by the so-called Windfall Elimination Provision which affects those with a separate pension earned without contributing to Social Security.

If you’ve been separately working (and contributing to Social Security) since you left government service and you now have more than 20 years contributing to Social Security from other nongovernment “substantial earnings,” it’s possible you can request a reevaluation of your WEP penalty. WEP provides relief for those who have more than 20 years contributing to Social Security. So, if you have more than that over your lifetime, you could ask that your WEP reduction be reevaluated to consider your additional years contributing to Social Security. If that is the case, your monthly amount would be increased to consider those additional years contributing to Social Security since you first claimed.

I suggest, if you now have more than 20 years of contributions to Social Security from your nongovernment work over your lifetime, you call Social Security to request reevaluation of your WEP retirement amount. You can see exactly how many years of Social Security-covered work you have by requesting an “earnings statement” from Social Security. You can get this Statement by calling 1-800-772-1213, or you can also get it at your personal “my Social Security” online account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount (Social Security will also be able to tell you this directly when you call). In any case, I wish you good fortune and hope that reevaluating the WEP reduction to your Social Security benefit may offer some small financial relief as you go forward.

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association. NSSA® and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit their website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.