Social Security and Medicare

Chapter 4Social Security Survivors’ Benefits

Learning objectives

• Recognize the types of situations that may jeopardize a widow’s or widower’s survivor benefits.
• Identify the special considerations for disabled widows or widowers, and younger spouses taking care of children.
• Recall the amount of benefit available to a widow or widower based on decedent’s primary insurance amount (PIA).
• Recognize the types of Social Security benefits that are available to widows and widowers.
• Identify situations in which a grandchild may be eligible for survivor benefits based on a grandparent’s Social Security credits.

Overview

Social Security survivors’ benefits—based on a deceased worker’s Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) earnings—are, if certain requirements are satisfied, paid to their surviving widows or widowers, their surviving minor and disabled children, and even their dependent parents. A surviving spouse who has not reached the minimum age requirement for widow’s benefits may still be entitled to a mother’s or father’s benefit if caring for a minor or disabled child of the deceased spouse. The amount of the benefit is based on the deceased worker’s work history, rather than on the benefit recipient’s workplace earnings.

When an eligible family member who has earned enough credits dies, certain family members—including widows or widowers (and divorced widows or widowers), children, and dependent parents—are eligible to collect survivor benefits. The higher the deceased ...