Oct
31
2011
By Guest (not verified)
my boyfriend an i lived together for the ast 10 years as husband and wife , he wass on ss/ disability, he passed away he paid all the bills w his check am i entitled to anything i have 3 chikdren that are mine from previous relationship, but he raised them as his own,
mow were loist wout him didnt realy think about the consequences of his death we were gonna get married on xmas this year but he got sick and passed away , is there anthing i can do
we had contacted an atty to find out how we go about adoption he wanted to adopt my boys after we were married
please hep me
thank you
Survivor benefits for possible common law marriage
I recommend you contact Social Security directly for your situation.
There is a chance you or your children may qualify for survivor benefits if your situation qualified as a common law marriage.
Social Security follows the laws of the state where the worker was residing at the time of death or the place where the worker is residing when the spouse applies for benefits. In order for a common law marriage to be valid, it must have been contracted in a state where common-law marriages are recognized.
Many states do not honor common-law marriages, so you should check local laws. However, most states (even those in which a man and woman could not enter into a valid common-law marriage) will generally recognize a common-law marriage validly entered into in another state. Again, check local laws.
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/296