I received a letter from my caseworker and stated sorry to hear the loss of a family member and has my estranged husband. How do I find out if this is correct?

Hi. If you know the state where your husband died you could request a death certificate from their division of vital statistics. Or, if you're potentially eligible for survivor benefits from Social Security then you could probably find out when and if your husband has died by calling Social Security. In order to be potentially eligible for survivor benefits you'd need to be at least age 60 or at least age 50 and disabled, or you'd need to have a child in your care whose eligible for child benefits and who's either under age 16 or disabled.

Social Security gets death information from funeral directors and state death registries, but they don't share that information with the general public. If you're potentially eligible for survivor benefits, though, Social Security can tell you whether or not your husband is still living.

Best, Jerry