What would happen to a wife who never had the chance to work after her husband dies? What would happen to a child who had lost his parent to whom he or she receives support? Will they starve? How will they pay the rent? Will they be able to get back on their feet?

With the help of the Social Security Administration (SSA), they sure can!

The Social Security came up with a solution to the problem being experienced by someone who had lost someone, especially if that loved one is the wage earner in the family.

The SSA created the Spouse Benefit Program. This program seeks to aid persons who lost their working spouses due to death. This program entitles the surviving spouse to receive the deceased worker’s retirement benefits:

1. Upon reaching the age of 62 years

2. At an earlier age if she is getting higher SS benefits based on her records. In which case, her spouse benefits shall be reduced by percentage based on the number of months up to her full retirement age

For instance, if the spouse begins collecting benefits at the age of:

a. 64 years – she will get 46% of the worker’s benefit;

b. 63 years – she will get 42% of the worker’s benefit; and

c. 62 years – she will get 37.5% of the worker’s benefit.

3. At any age if she is caring for the deceased child

a. Who is 16 years and below; or

b. Who is disabled and is receiving benefits from SSA.

(The spouse shall be entitled to half of the Spouse benefit. It stops when the child reaches 16 unless she is already entitled to retirement benefits.) 4. Upon reaching the age of 65, she becomes entitled to receive Medicare benefits

5. In case the spouse receives financial support from another at her full retirement age, she will get half of her spouse’s retirement benefit

Generally, before one can be entitled to receive spouse benefits, she must be married to the deceased worker at least nine months prior to the death.

However, the general rule need not be applied in the following cases:

a. To a biological parent of the worker's biological child;

b. To a person who legally adopted the worker’s child while they were married and before the child reached 18 years old;

c. To the biological parent of a child who was legally adopted by the worker while the biological parent and the worker were married and before the child reached 18 years old;

d. If a person and the worker were married and both of them legally adopted a child below 18 years old;

e. To an institutionalized spouse who was previously married to the worker but was prohibited by the State Law to divorce the worker. After the worker died, the spouse married someone else within 60 days;

f. To a person who was married to the worker at the time of the latter’s death and the former had been married to and divorced from him before and their previous marriage lasted for 9 months;

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