Jun
14
2011
By Guest (not verified)
my sons father commited suicide when he was 3 months old n he is now 4.i called the social security office and they said he didn't qualify because his father didnt put enough points into the state.i don't know how they can turn me down i was 17 at the time with a 3 month old baby.that doesn't seem right.could you please give me some advice of what i should do.
Qualifying for survivor benefits with a short work record
Under a special rule, the SSA can pay benefits to your children the parent who is caring for the children even if he didn't have the number of credits needed. They can get benefits if he had credits for one and one-half year's work (6 credits) in the three years just before his death.
http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/credits4.htm
Did you receive a letter stating that your application was denied? You may wish to appeal the decision. Here is an excerpt describing the appeals process :
When we make a decision on your claim, we will send you a letter explaining our decision. If you do not agree with our decision, you can appeal—that is, ask us to look at your case again.
When you ask for an appeal, we will look at the entire decision, even those parts that were in your favor. If our decision was wrong, we will change it.
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10041.html