My husband passed away in 2009 at age 54. We had been married 15 years. I applied for, and received SS disability benefits for him and our 2 children before he passed away. After he passed my 2 children got benefits only. I asked about Payments for me and was told I was not eligible. I inquired a few years later and was told that I was eligible, but that they would only go back 6 months and not the entire time I should have been eligible. I am now 58 and our youngest child just aged out this year. Am I eligible for any of my husbands benefits?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You can't receive widow's benefits prior to age 60 unless a) you are disabled, or b) you have a child in your care who is under age 16 or disabled. If you're not disabled and you don't have a qualifying child in your care, your best strategy is almost certainly one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits at age 60 or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then switch to your own record at age 70; or,
2) File for reduced retirement benefits on your own record at age 62 or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then file for unreduced widow's benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher record when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could sort all of this out for you and help you determine your optimal filing strategy.

Best, Jerry