My intellectually disabled brother passed away about 8 weeks ago unexpectedly at the age of 52. About a year ago, he applied for SS disa bility benefits. Shortly before his death, he was approved and the funds (calculated from his date of filing) were deposited into his checking account. Shortly after his death, this deposit was removed from his account. There were no notifications sent or explanations made. Since these funds were due to him for the time that he was alive, wouldn't my parents (his next of kin) be entitled to receive this? Thanks for your help. It's been a very painful time for our family and only now are we able to begin sorting through this.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, any benefits due to your brother that were not paid until after his death should be payable to his next of kin. Someone will need to file a formal request for underpayment, which is a form SSA-1724 ((https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1724.html). That will permit Social Security to determine who is entitled to receive your brother's underpayment.

Best, Jerry