dear Larry I lost my wife in 1999,In 2016 I had to have bypass heart surgery and stop working iam now 60 years old getting ssi to live on should I apply for my widower death benefits, also how can I get the maximum amount. thank you.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

My answer assumes that you are receiving Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) and not Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the latter of which is a needs based program. If that's the case it sounds like you would want to file for widower's benefits now if you are eligible. However, you will only be eligible if your widower's rate is higher than your SSDI rate. You can essentially only receive the higher of the 2 benefit rates, not both.

If your widower's rate is higher than your SSDI rate and you file now, you would continue to receive your SSDI plus a reduced widower's benefit. However, the reduction for age applied to your widower's benefit would only be temporary and would be removed after you reach your full retirement age.

You may want to consider using the maximization software available on this website to make sure that you choose the best strategy.

Best, Jerry