Hi, my Mom receives Social Security but isn't sure if she ever asked for the widow's benefit after my dad passed away. How would we be able to find that out?

Thanks,
Kim

Hi Kim,

If your mom was receiving spousal benefits before your father died, the conversion to widow's benefits would have been automatic. If your mom isn't entitled to any benefits based on her own work record, an easy way to check the type of benefit she's receiving would be to look at her Medicare card. If her Medicare claim number is followed by the letter 'D', then she's definitely getting widow's benefits.

But if mother is entitled to benefits on her own record, she could still be receiving widow's benefits but you wouldn't be able to tell that from her Medicare number. In that case you would likely need to ask Social Security. Due to the Privacy Act, your mother would either need to do that herself or give Social Security permission to release the information to you.

Best, Jerry