Q & A
Is Marriage Required for Widow’s Benefits?
Full Question: My question is that my mother did not marry my father, but she was with him for 11 years before he died in a car accident. We, the children, all received Social Security check money. When we got older, we all had a few thousands dollars in the bank. But my mother did not get one cent even though she had seven kids, the youngest of which was born a few weeks after my dad’s death.
Answer: This is another example of Social Security’s outrageously unjust practices. But there is nothing to be done. Unless Congress changes the law, which it surely won’t, the unwed will be treated just as its designers desired – as second-class citizens.
Source: Laurence Kotlikoff, Forbes Contributor
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.