Hello, I filed for disability in 2008, It took over 2 years to get my 1st payment, it was exactly 1 month after my wife of 38 years passed away from cancer in November of 2010, we went through all our retirement savings, our 401K, paying for the cancer treatments, after my wife passed the SSA office told me that as I am on disability I am only entitled to $19 a month
of my wife's benifits, They paid me this benefit for 2 years and now I don't get anything, My wife worked for more than 40 years and paid into ssi, I only receive $1,053 a month in disability benefits, I go most of every month with no funds as my mortgage and living expenses are more than I get in disability, I have to donate plasma twice a week just to be able to buy food! This is not what I worked my whole life for, to just barely survive on what the government is paying me, I am 62 yrs old, ex-USMC Vietnam Vet. Retired Pastor, and had my own contracting business here in Florida for 20 yrs, why can't I receive surviving spouse benefits? Any suggestions would by appreciated, Thank You & Blessings!

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You would only be eligible for widower's benefits if your wife's primary insurance amount (PIA) is higher than your full SSDI rate before deductions. However, if your wife received reduced retirement benefits prior to her death your potential widower's rate would be less than her full PIA. If Social Security started out paying you a small widower's benefit after your wife's death it would indicate that her PIA (or alternate rate) was slightly higher than your full SSDI rate at that time. If your widower's benefit has now stopped, it likely indicates that your SSDI rate increased at some point and is now higher than your wife's PIA (or alternate rate). The most likely cause for an SSDI rate increase would be due to a recomputation to credit you with additional earnings that weren't initially considered, such as earnings that you had in your last year of work.

Obviously I don't know the full facts of your case, though, so I'm only guessing based on the information in your question. If it doesn't sound like my answer lines up with the facts of your case as you understand them, you may want to consider contacting Social Security for an explanation.

Best, Jerry