Hi Doris Well, I was so shocked I did not really understand . It was 15 or so years ago that I started drawing mine. He may not have fully understood it either, or in my state of shock I did not hear his explanation. Jeannie from OR In a message dated 5/30/2005 3:58:13 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, doriswaggoner@juno.com writes: What I was told when I talked to SS about my case was that if I "drew on" his--or if all three wives drew on his--it would have no effect on how much he could draw. Remember that while how much you get depends on how much money you (or he) made, the money does not come directly out of the money you paid in. That's what the whole fight over SS in Congress right now is about. The money we will get comes from the younger folks who are working. That has always been the way it worked. So his "taking" some of yours wouldn't have taken a penny of yours. It would just have added a little to his income. It would have added to the public debt, however. I don't think that's part of what Congress is fighting over, because in total, it's very minor. The big problem is that there are fewer and fewer working people to pay for retirees. I will not take my ex's SS, because it would be a lot less than taking my own SS. I know his next wife, and the same will be true for her. I was told that you can't take your own SS and your ex's, so you'd only take your ex's if, like my mother, your own is very small. In my ex's case, he may have one wife, who he may still be married to, collecting his SS when he dies. It does surprise me that your ex was told he could have both his and yours. That contradicts what I was told. But then different people at SS could give different info. Doris -- Jeannabee@aol.com wrote: My ex-husband is 9 months younger than I am. We had been divorced for 20 years when I applied for Social Security. When he became eligible for drawing his Social Security he was asked if he wanted part of mine. I was so horrified since I was not getting much that I never did understand about that philosophy. However, he told them he did not want to do that to me. Jeannie from OR In a message dated 5/30/2005 1:51:31 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, doriswaggoner@juno.com writes: But if you were married to him for 10 or more years, you can draw off his earnings after he dies. If you are remarried, you have to choose among your own pension, your husband's pension, or your ex-husband's pension. If you take any husband's pension, you get a big cut. In my case, my ex has been married 4 times. (His name's different, so I'm not giving anything away.) One was brief. But the others were all 10+ years. When he dies, three women could potentially draw off his account. In my case, I'll get more to usse my own account, but I don't know about the other two. But if he is an ex-husband, SS will not notify you. It is your responsibility to find out that he is dead and notify them, proving that you were married and divorced. Another use for the SSDI, if you're not in contact. Doris