My sister recently passed away,Her husband is retired. And drawing his SSI. Is he eligible to draw off her SSI?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

By SSI, I assume that you're referring to Social Security benefits. The surviving member of a couple can generally only be paid the higher of their own benefit rate or their deceased spouse's benefit rate. Therefore, it sounds like your brother-in-law could only qualify for widower's benefits if your sister's benefit rate was, or would have been, higher than his own rate.

Even if your brother-in-law doesn't qualify for widower's benefits, though, he can apply for a one-time death benefit of $255 provided that he and your sister were living together.

Best, Jerry