After I notified Social Security of my husbands death and had an appointment to apply for his health benefit they sent $255 to my bank account on his social security number and $34 on mine SS# to my bank. The $34 is not the amount I draw every month. I got a letter stating the one time $255 but, said nothing about the $34. I believe they are completely cutting my SS off foe some strange reason. During my appointment with them they said nothing about cutting me off if I claimed the one time payment but, I believe they have.

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. There isn't enough information in your question for me to be able to give you any kind of an analysis, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that claiming the one-time $255 lump sum death benefit would have no effect on any other type of Social Security benefit for which you are eligible. I can't explain the $34 payment you received, but if I had to make a guess my first thought would be that it's some type of adjustment payment. I would suggest that you contact Social Security for an explanation of the $34 payment, since they are they're the only people who have access to your records.

By the way, if you're at least age 60, or at least age 50 and disabled, you may be eligible for widow's benefits. However, if you're already collecting benefits based on your own Social Security record then you could only qualify for additional widow's benefits if your widow's rate is higher than your own benefit amount. Depending on your age and circumstances, you may want to consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry