Regarding citizenship - for Social Security benefits purposes, citizenship is less important than residency status. Since the daughter is residing in Spain and is not a US citizen, she's treated as a nonresident alien under US tax law, subject to the treaty provisions between the US and Spain. One other important point about the Representative Payee situation - since the mother is a non-US citizen living abroad, SSA might require additional verification and documentation. This could include more frequent Representative Payee accounting reports. She should ask the FBU specifically about any special requirements for her situation. Also, make sure your friend keeps all documentation of how the benefits are spent on behalf of her daughter. Foreign Representative Payees sometimes face additional scrutiny.

A dedicated bank account is definitely a good idea! Representative Payees are actually required to keep Social Security funds separate from their own money. The account should be titled in a way that shows the child owns the money but the mother manages it - something like "Maria Rodriguez, representative payee for Sofia Rodriguez, beneficiary." This makes it much easier to track how funds are spent and complete the annual Representative Payee Report. It also helps prevent any appearance of misuse of funds, which can be especially important in international cases where there might be more scrutiny.

has anyone mentioned the kids can get benefits from BOTH US and canada? my friends kids got both after their dad died who worked in both countries, but i dont know much about how it worked

Since you're dealing with both US and Canadian benefits, here's what I recommend for your planning: 1. Request your SSA earnings record and your CPP contribution statement to confirm your work history in both countries is accurate. 2. For your wife's planning, she should compare these scenarios: - Taking survivor benefits at her FRA, then switching to her own SS at 70 - Taking her own reduced benefit early, then switching to survivor benefits at her FRA 3. Calculate the family maximum benefit now so you have realistic expectations for what your children will receive. 4. Contact both SSA and Service Canada to confirm children's eligibility for survivor benefits under both systems. 5. Consider consulting with a financial planner who specializes in cross-border retirement planning, particularly someone with expertise in the US-Canada Social Security Agreement. The fact that survivor benefits aren't reduced by WEP is extremely important to your planning and could significantly impact your strategy.

my mom always said you should apply on your birthday month is that true?

You need to watch out because they make you pick a Medicare plan too when you file for SS if he hasn't already done that part. My husband got totally confused by all the Medicare options when he was trying to do his SS application. Just a heads up that might slow things down.

One more important thing: if your friend's husband worked in both SS-covered employment AND government employment not covered by SS, the SSA will need to carefully review his earnings record to calculate the correct benefit. Make sure she brings his complete work history if possible. Also, the fact that she receives a small SS benefit suggests she might have enough SS-covered work quarters to potentially reduce the GPO impact. The rules are extremely technical, which is why an in-person appointment with documentation is crucial.

Just to add - there's a movement to repeal GPO and WEP with multiple bills introduced in Congress over the years, but nothing has passed yet. The Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate both provisions, but it's been stalled for years despite bipartisan support. Public pension recipients should follow this legislation.

just wondering if u ever got this resolved? im in a similar boat and scared about how long it might take

After reading through this thread, I think contacting your Congressional representative was a smart move. Their constituent services can often push things forward much faster than we can as individuals. Just to confirm a few technical points: 1. The form you filed (SSA-521) requests withdrawal of a claim, which is different from simply changing your month of entitlement. If you only wanted to delay by 3 months, a withdrawal might have been more complicated than necessary. 2. For Social Security retirement benefits, changing your month of entitlement can affect your benefit amount due to the monthly delayed retirement credits you earn after Full Retirement Age until age 70. 3. When transitioning from survivor to retirement benefits, there's often confusion about the Medicare premium transfers, which is why you're experiencing the issues with having to pay out of pocket. Keep detailed records of all your out-of-pocket Medicare payments. When your case is resolved, you'll need to submit Form SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant) with copies of your receipts to request reimbursement. This won't happen automatically.