May
15
2012
By smbroce
The father of my two small children passed 3 weeks ago. I have a pending death certificate but don't yet have an official death certificate since an autopsy was performed and the results are not complete as of yet. Is the pending death certificate good enough to apply for social security for the children or do I need to wait for the official death certificate? Thanks.
Death certificate - applying for survivor benefits
I couldn't find anything regarding a "pending death certificate" so I would contact the SSA at 1-800-772-1213.
I would say the pending death certificate would suffice. Social Security documents indicate proof of death from "either from a funeral home or death certificate" would suffice.
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10084.html#a0=2