If you are the widow (or widower) of a worker who was covered by Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you may qualify for Social Security Disability Survivors’ benefits. You may be entitled to full benefits when you reach retirement age (65-67, depending on when you were born). You may also qualify for full benefits if you are responsible for the care of the deceased’s children, as long as they are 16 years old or younger.

You may even qualify for survivor’s benefits if your ex-husband or wife is eligible for SSDI. If your marriage lasted at least ten years, and you meet the other qualifications set forth by the Social Security Administration (SSA), you could receive SSDI survivor’s benefits based upon your ex-husband’s eligibility.

Your spouse’s eligibility for SSDI is based upon how much he has worked and paid into FICA. The requirements regarding how much he needs to have worked in order to qualify for SSDI vary depending on his age at the time of death. In any case, those who have worked for 10 years and paid into FICA are eligible for SSDI.

If you are not currently receiving Social Security Disability benefits, and your husband or wife has died, contact the SSA right away to apply for survivors’ benefits. In most cases, you will receive back pay based on the date you applied, rather than on the date of your late spouse’s death. If you are caring for the deceased’s minor children, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits even if your marriage didn’t last the requisite 10 years.

You can apply for Social Security Disability benefits via the Internet or the telephone. You may also apply in person at a SSA Field Office. When you apply, you should bring documentation proving your spouse’s death (such as a death certificate or statement issued by the funeral home), proof of your spouse’s income (such as the most recent W-2 or pay stubs), your Social Security number, your late spouse’s Social Security number, your marriage certificate, and your divorce certificate (if applicable). Whenever possible, you should bring original documents. If you don’t have original documents, you will need a certified copy.

If you desire direct deposit of your Social Security Disability survivor’s benefits, you should also bring your banking information. This should include your account numbers and routing numbers as well as the name of your bank or financial institution.

You are entitled to representation by a qualified Social Security disability representative. If your initial claim is not accepted in a timely manner, consider hiring an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer to help you with the appeals process, as this will increase your chances of having your claim accepted quickly.

If you are already receiving SSDI benefits based upon your own work (and subsequent disability), you should still apply for survivors benefits if your spouse earned a higher income than you did. While you will not be eligible to receive both your own and survivor’s benefits, you will be eligible to receive whichever of the two is higher. You will, of course, need to bring in the appropriate documentation showing that your spouse has passed away.

In some limited situations, pensions which you are receiving may alter the amount of Social Security disability benefits you are entitled to. This includes pensions from jobs which did not require you (or your spouse) to pay into the Social Security Disability Insurance program through FICA.

While the process for claiming Social Security survivor’s benefits is not difficult, you should apply as soon after your spouse’s death as practicable.

You may qualify for SSD Benefits

If you have unpaid, seriously overdue debts, which you have been court ordered to pay, one of the things your creditors can do is petition your state’s court system to allow a garnishment. When a writ of garnishment is issued, your assets can be frozen, allowing your creditors to clear out your bank accounts and garnish a percentage of your wages or other income. The amount of income which may be garnished varies somewhat from state to state.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is in the process of compiling and updating a list of conditions which automatically qualify you as disabled.

The current list is comprised primarily of certain cancers, dementia disorders, and rare diseases which are expected to be terminal or which otherwise clearly cause those who suffer from them to be disqualified according to the SSA’s disability standards.

When you first contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding applying for Social Security disability benefits, they will set an appointment for you to meet with a representative.

This appointment is usually in person, but may be conducted over the telephone or via video conference in some circumstances. Before your scheduled appointment, the SSA will send you an Adult Disability Starter Kit.

Approximately 3.8 percent of the nearly 2.5 million residents living in the State of Oregon receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). To qualify for Social Security disability benefits in Oregon, you need to meet the SSA's established guidelines for disability, work credits, and or income.

The truth is, while the initial application process does only take a few months to complete, very few Oregon Social Security Disability applicants are actually awarded benefits during the initial stage of the application process.

This year alone, South Carolina Social Security Disability applicants will file thousands of claims for disability benefits. These applicants often expect to be approved for benefits in a matter of months. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. While the initial application process does only take three to four months to complete, the majority of initial disability claims are denied by the Social Security Administration.

There are nearly four million residents living in the State of Tennessee. Approximately 5.7 percent of these residents receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Each and every year, thousands more will apply for benefits due to a long-term or permanent disability. Unfortunately, the majority of these applicants will be denied disability benefits during the initial stage of the application process.

There are more than 3.5 million residents living in the State of Wisconsin. Approximately four percent of these residents receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). This year alone, there will be thousands more Wisconsin residents applying for Social Security Disability benefits. While the initial application process only takes Wisconsin Social Security Disability applicants approximately three months to complete, the majority of these claimants are denied during the initial application stage.

Kentucky is home to millions of hard-working residents who pay taxes into the Social Security System from each paycheck they receive. When these residents are faced with a long-term or permanent disability, they assume that Social Security Disability benefits will be provided to them. Of the nearly three million residents who make Kentucky their home, approximately 7.3 percent receive Social Security Disability payments each month.

There are approximately 3.6 million residents living in the State of Missouri. Of these residents, approximately 5.4 percent receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). This year alone, there will be thousands of new Missouri Social Security Disability claims. If history is any indication of future approval rates, the SSA will deny nearly 70 percent of the new applications it receives. To make matters worse, more than 80 percent of applicants will also be denied during the first stage of the disability appeal process.