Essential Information On Social Security Survivor Benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) of the US government provides compensation to the surviving members of a family when the earning member of the family dies. It does this through a program on Social Security Survivor Benefits. The benefits are paid provided the member who died earned enough credits while he/she was employed.
Widowers and widows are eligible for the survivor benefits provided they are either at least sixty years old or at least fifty years old and disabled. Then again the benefits are also admissible to widowers or widows regardless of their age, who care for a child who is less than 16 years of age. Alternatively, the benefits are also admissible to widowers or widows regardless of their age, who care for a disabled child in receipt of Social Security benefits.
The benefits are also admissible to unmarried children aged below 18 years or to elementary or secondary school going full-time-student children who are less than nineteen years old. The benefits are also admissible to those children aged at least 18 years who continued to remain severely disabled before they became 22 years old. The benefits are also admissible to dependent parents of the deceased with the condition that their dependency is at least for half their income.
The program also includes a special one-time death benefit. This provision is admissible provided the deceased earned enough credits during his/her employment. If the deceased dies early, he/she may not earn enough credits. The death benefit amount is $255 and is paid to the surviving spouse or minor children. An ex-spouse may also be provided survivor benefits, irrespective of whether divorced or remarried. However, for the ex-spouse to receive benefits she/he must be at least sixty years old and must have been married to the deceased to the deceased for at least ten years. In case the ex-spouse is disabled, she needs to be at least fifty years old to receive the survivor benefits. Alternatively, if the ex-spouse is caring for a child who is in turn already eligible for survivor benefits, the age restriction is removed for the ex-spouse. However, the condition in that case is that the ex-spouse not be eligible for an equal or more than the cared child's benefit on record. While filing the application for survivor benefits, you need to attach certain important documents to the Social Security Administration's local office. These documents include Proof of Death certificate (alternatively funeral home notice) and your Social Security number as well as that of the deceased's. They also include your birth certificate, your marriage certificate (if you are the surviving spouse), and the deceased's dependent children's Social Security numbers (if applicable). Moreover, you need to attach the deceased's latest W-2 forms (for taxable income purposes) and the name and address of the USA located bank and your account number. The Social Security Survivor Benefits program of the SSA cannot help replace the monthly income of the deceased. However, it still is an important monetary compensation for the survival of the deceased's family members.
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