96.004: Social Security Survivors Insurance
Overview
Program Number
96.004
Status
Inactive
Last Modified
Sept. 28, 2017
Date Posted
Sept. 17, 2017
Objective
To replace part of the earnings lost to dependents because of the worker's death.
Type of Assistance
D - Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use
Applicant Eligibility
Benefits are payable only if the deceased was insured for survivors insurance protection. Coverage credits under the social security systems of certain foreign countries with which the U.S. has reciprocal agreements may be taken into account to meet the requirements. Survivors eligible for monthly cash benefits are the following: widows or widowers age 60 or over; surviving divorced spouses age 60 or over (married to the deceased worker for at least 10 years); disabled widows, widowers or surviving divorced spouses ages 50- 59; widows, widowers, or surviving divorced spouses at any age who have in their care a child under age 16 or disabled and entitled to benefits on the deceased worker's Social Security record; unmarried children under age 18, under age 19 and a full time student in elementary or secondary school; or age 18 or older and under a disability which began before age 22; and dependent parents age 62 and over. All survivors benefits, other than for beneficiaries at full retirement age (FRA) or older, are subject to an earnings test. Beginning with the year 2000, the retirement earnings test was eliminated beginning with the month in which the beneficiary reaches FRA. A person at and above FRA will not have Social Security benefits reduced because of earnings. In the calendar year in which a beneficiary reaches FRA, benefits are reduced $1 for every $3 of earnings above the limit allowed by law, $44,880 in 2017, but this reduction is applied only to months prior to attainment of FRA. For years before the year the beneficiary attains FRA, the reduction in benefits is $1 for every $2 of earnings over the annual exempt amount, $16,920 in 2017 . Except for benefits to children and dependent parents, all survivors benefits are subject to a pension offset if the person is also receiving a governmental pension based on his or her own work in non-covered employment. However, the offset does not apply: (1) If the person receives, or is eligible to receive, the pension before December 1, 1982, and can meet the requirements for the Social Security auxiliary's benefit as they existed in January 1977; or (2) if the person receives, or is eligible to receive, the pension before July 1, 1983, and the person was dependent on his or her spouse for at least one-half support at the time the spouse died, became disabled or became entitled to Social Security benefits; or 3) if the last 60 months of a person’s government service before retirement was covered by both Social Security and the pension plan that provides the government pension. The amount of the public pension used for purposes of the offset against Social Security survivor's benefits is equal to two-thirds of the public pension. Benefits for widows/widowers and surviving divorced spouses are also offset dollar for dollar by any Social Security benefit the surviving spouse receives based on his or her own work. Under certain conditions, a lump-sum death payment of $255 is payable to the widow or children of the deceased worker. Further, no benefit can be paid to an alien in the United States unless he is lawfully present in the United States. Also, an alien cannot qualify for benefits if he or she never had a work-authorized Social Security Number (SSN) (effective for benefit applications based on SSNs issued after 2003).
Beneficiary Eligibility
Widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses age 60 or over are entitled as long as the worker met the insurance requirements. Widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses also qualify at any age if they have entitled children of the worker under age 16 or disabled children in their care; unmarried children: under age 18, under age 19 and a full-time student in elementary or secondary school or age 18 or older and under a disability which began before age 22; and dependent parents age 62 and over. To claim benefits as disabled widows, widowers, or surviving divorced spouses, individuals ages 50-59 must show that they have a disability that started no later than 7 years after the insured died or 7 years after certain other events. Disability currently has the same meaning for these entitlements as it does for workers who claim disability insurance (see 96.001). As in worker disability claims, there is also a 5-month waiting period after the disability began before benefits begin and entitlement to Medicare after 24 months of entitlement to benefits. Children of the worker claiming benefits because of disability are also subject to the definition of disability used for workers and must show that they have been disabled since before they reached age 22. There is no waiting period for these benefits.
Related Programs
Additional Information
Grant Awards
Social Security Survivors Insurance direct grants
Grant Opportunities