Dear Rusty: I retired at full retirement age and am currently 79 years old. I have been steadily employed and despite my advancing years, I still need to work. I am currently getting a small Social Security benefit due to my federal retirement offset. I have questions about the possibility of having my Social Security benefits re-evaluated for disability after fifteen years of contributions. Signed: Working Still at 79

Dear Still Working: I regret to inform you that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are no longer available once you reach your full retirement age. These benefits are designed to support workers up to their retirement age, but terminate at the attainment of this milestone. So, there is no provision to apply for SS disability benefits after reaching full retirement age. The most you can receive on SSDI equals your full retirement amount. Thus, there would be no financial advantage in pursuing SS disability benefits, as you already claimed SS at your full retirement age.

However, your SS retirement benefits might have been affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). If you’ve been working (and contributing to Social Security) since leaving government service, and you’ve contributed to SS from non-government earnings for over 20 years, you can request a reevaluation of your WEP penalty. WEP offers relief for those having more than 20 years of Social Security contributions. I advise you to call Social Security to request a reevaluation if you find your contributions amount to more than 20 years.

You can find out the exact number of SS-covered work years you have by requesting an “Earnings Statement from Social Security. Call 1-800-772-1213 or look into your personal “my Social Security online account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount to get your Statement. I hope reevaluating the WEP reduction to your SS benefit offers you some financial relief.

Russell Gloor is an Association of Mature American Citizens certified social security advisor. To submit a question, visit amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance.

Given that the primary concern in this article is about contacting Social Security for a reevaluation, it’s important to mention there are other resources you might need to contact regarding employment and benefits. If you’ve lost your job and you’re residing in California, you might need to contact EDD for issues relating to unemployment benefits. A helpful reference site is eddcaller.com, where you can gather useful information such as how to get through to EDD and the fastest way to get through to EDD. You can also learn how to reach an agent at EDD for a more personable service.