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The following information is from the Social Security Administration web
site at www.ssa.gov as of February 1,
2003. Our list of Questions and Answers is for informational purposes
only. You should contact the SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 to
obtain the most current and accurate information for your situation.
Question
When a Social Security beneficiary dies, does the funeral home notify
Social Security or is notification up to the family?
Answer
Many funeral directors, including Park View Funeral Home, voluntarily
provide death information directly to Social Security. But, family members of
a deceased individual still have the legal responsibility to notify Social
Security. For information on what action to take when a beneficiary dies, see http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/deathbenefits.htm
Question
What are the requirements for a survivor to receive Social Security
benefits?
Answer
When a person dies, certain members of the family may be eligible for
survivors benefits if the deceased worked, paid Social Security taxes, and
earned enough credits. The number of credits a person needs depends on their
age at the time of death. The younger a person is, the fewer credits are
needed to be eligible for survivors benefits. However, nobody needs more than
40 credits (10 years of work) to be eligible for any Social Security benefits.
Social Security survivors benefits can be paid to:
 | A widow/widower-full benefits at full retirement age (currently age 65),
or reduced benefits as early as age 60. A disabled widow/widower may
receive benefits as early as age 50.
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| A widow/widower at any age if he or she takes care of the deceased's
child under age 16 or disabled, who receives Social Security benefits.
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| Unmarried children under 18, or up to age 19 if they are attending
elementary or secondary school full time. A child can receive benefits at
any age if he or she was disabled before age 22 and remains disabled.
Under certain circumstances, benefits can also be paid to stepchildren,
grandchildren, or adopted children.
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| Dependent parents at 62 or older. |
You may be interested to know that a former spouse can receive benefits
under the same circumstances as a widow/widower if the marriage lasted 10
years or more. Benefits paid to a surviving divorced spouse who is 60 or older
will not affect the benefit rates for other survivors receiving benefits.
Please note that in general, a widow/widower cannot receive benefits if
they remarry before the age of 60 (50 if disabled) unless the latter marriage
ends, whether by death, divorce, or annulment. However, remarriage after age
60 (50 if disabled) will not prevent payments on a former spouse's record.
The amount of the survivors benefit is based on the earnings of the person
who died. The more he or she paid into Social Security, the higher the
benefits will be. The amount a survivor receives is a percentage of the
deceased's basic Social Security benefit. The following provides the most
typical situations:
| Widow or widower full retirement age (currently age 65) or older-100
percent.
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| Widow or widower age 60 to 64-about 71 - 94 percent.
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| Widow or widower at any age with a child under age 16 - 75 percent.
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| Children - 75 percent. |
If a person is receiving widow/widower's benefits, they can switch to their
own retirement benefits (assuming they are eligible and their retirement rate
is higher than the widow/widower's rate) as early as age 62. In many cases, a
widow/widower can begin receiving one benefit at a reduced rate and then
switch to the other benefit at an unreduced rate at full retirement age.
However, they will not be paid both benefits - they will be paid the higher of
the two benefits.
For more information, you may call the SSA toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213
and ask for our publication "Social Security - Survivors Benefits"
Publication No. 05-10084 or you can access it at: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/englist.html
To file for benefits, you should call 1-800-772-1213 and ask for an
appointment.
Question
How do I report the death of a beneficiary?
Answer
A family member or other person responsible for the beneficiary's affairs
should do the following:
- Promptly notify Social Security of the beneficiary's death by calling SSA
toll-free at 1-800-772-1213.
- If monthly benefits were being paid via direct deposit, notify the bank or
other financial institution of the beneficiary's death. Request that any funds
received for the month of death and later be returned to Social Security as
soon as possible.
- If benefits were being paid by check, DO NOT CASH any checks received for
the month in which the beneficiary died or thereafter. Return the checks to
Social Security as soon as possible. To find your local Social Security
office, see http://www.ssa.gov/locator/
A one-time payment of $255 is payable to the surviving spouse if he or she was
living with the beneficiary at the time of death, OR if living apart, was
receiving Social Security benefits on the beneficiary's earnings record. If
there is no surviving spouse, the payment is made to a child who was eligible
for benefits on the beneficiary's earnings record in the month of death.
Question
How do I receive the Lump Sum Death Payment after a relative dies?
Answer
A lump-sum death benefit of $255 may be paid upon the death of a person who
has worked long enough to be insured under the Social Security program. The
lump-sum death benefit can be paid upon the death of the insured person even
if they were not receiving retirement or disability benefits at the time of
death.
This payment is limited to a spouse who was living with the worker at the
time of death or to a spouse or a child who, in the month of death, is
eligible for a Social Security benefit based on the worker's record. If no
spouse or child meeting these requirements exists, then the lump sum death
payment will not be paid.
The lump sum death payment can no longer be paid to funeral homes for funeral
expenses.
To file for the benefit, call 1-800-772-1213 and request an appointment for
your local office.
To report a death of a beneficiary to Social Security, see the instructions
at http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/deathbenefits.htm
Question
How long must you be married to a spouse to collect benefits when the
spouse dies?
Answer
A person can qualify for widow's or widower's benefits if he or she was
married to the deceased worker for at least the 9 months just before the
worker died.
The 9-month duration-of-marriage requirement is waived IF the insured person's
death was accidental, or if it occurred in the line of duty while he or she
was a member of a uniformed service serving on active duty, or if the
widow(er) who was married to the insured person at the time of the insured's
death was previously married to and divorced from him or her and the previous
marriage had lasted 9 months.
The insured person's death is defined as accidental only if he or she received
bodily injuries through violent, external, and accidental means and, as a
direct
result of the bodily injuries and independent of all other causes, died within
3 months after the day on which the injuries were received.
The exception to the 9-month duration-of-marriage requirement does not apply
if at the time of the marriage the insured person could not reasonably have
been expected to live for 9 months.
Question
Can I file a claim for the $255.00 death benefit for my brother?
Answer
No. This payment is limited to a spouse who was living with the worker at
the time of death or to a spouse or a child who, in the month of death, is
eligible for a Social Security benefit based on the worker's record.
Question
If I receive widow's benefits and remarry, how does this affect my
benefits?
Answer
In general, a widow/widower cannot receive benefits if they remarry before the
age of 60 (50 if disabled) unless the latter marriage ends, whether by death,
divorce, or annulment. However, remarriage after age 60 (50 if disabled) will
not prevent payments on a former spouse's record.
Question
My two children and I have been receiving survivors benefits since my wife
died. Will these benefits continue if I remarry?
Answer
Your remarriage would have no effect on the benefits being paid to your
children. If you get benefits only because you are caring for your children,
your benefits would end at the time of your remarriage unless you marry
someone who is receiving Social Security benefits.
Question
Can a child receive benefits on the record of a grandparent?
Answer
A dependent grandchild or step-grandchild of the number holder (worker) or
spouse may qualify for benefits as a "child" if:
The grandchild's natural or adoptive parents are deceased or disabled at the
time the worker became entitled to retirement or disability insurance benefits
or died, or at the beginning of the worker's period of disability which
continued until the worker became entitled to disability or retirement
insurance benefits or died.
The grandchild can also become eligible if he or she was legally adopted by
the worker's surviving spouse in an adoption decreed by a court of competent
jurisdiction within the U.S., and the grandchild's natural or adopting parent
or stepparent was not living in the same household and making regular
contributions to the child's support at the time the insured worker died.
Besides meeting the above requirements, the grandchild or step-grandchild must
be dependent on the insured. To be dependent on the insured worker, a
grandchild or step-grandchild must have:
Begun living with the worker before the grandchild became 18 years old; and
Lived with the worker in the U.S. and received at least one-half support from
the worker:
For the year before the month the worker became entitled to retirement or
disability insurance benefits or died; or
If the worker had a period of disability that lasted until he or she became
entitled to benefits or died, for the year immediately before the month in
which the period of disability began.
If the grandchild was born during the one-year period, the worker must have
lived with and provided at least one-half of the grandchild's support for
substantially all of the period from the date of the grandchild's birth to the
month indicated above.
Question
How can a parent be entitled to survivors benefits?
Answer
A parent of a deceased insured person is entitled to parent's insurance
benefits if:
A. The insured person was fully insured at the time of death; and
B. The parent files an application for parent's benefits; and
C. The parent has reached age 62; and
D. The parent is not entitled to a retirement insurance benefit that is equal
to or larger than the amount of the unadjusted parent's insurance benefit
after any increase to the minimum benefit; and
E. The parent was receiving at least one-half support from the insured person;
and
F. Evidence that the support requirement was met has been filed with the
Social Security Administration within the appropriate time limit; and
G. The parent has not remarried since the insured person's death; and
H. One of the following conditions is met:
1. The parent is a natural parent and would be eligible under the law of the
State of the worker's domicile to share in the intestate personal property of
the worker as the worker's father or mother, as the case may be; or
2. The parent had legally adopted the insured person before he or she attained
age 16; or
3. The person claiming benefits became the deceased's stepparent by a marriage
entered into before the deceased had attained age 16.
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