Can I claim Social Security survivor benefits 36 years after husband's death?

Yes, you might be eligible for survivor benefits! The 9-month marriage duration requirement is met, and since you never remarried before age 60, you've maintained eligibility. There's no time limit for claiming survivor benefits. The key question is whether your own benefit amount is higher than what you'd receive as a survivor (which would be up to 100% of what your husband would receive if he were alive today). I'd recommend contacting SSA immediately to have them compare the amounts. Even though your husband had limited earnings, death benefits are calculated differently than retirement benefits, and his theoretical benefit might have grown considerably over 36 years with COLA adjustments. This could potentially increase your monthly payment if his benefit amount is higher than your current payment.

my mom was in a similar situation and didnt know she could get survivors benefits until 15 years after my dad died!! the ssa doesn't exactly advertise these things lol. when she finally found out and applied they did NOT give her any backpay tho, just started the higher benefit going forward. still worth checking into!!

The SSA really fails people by not properly informing them of their benefit options! I've seen this EXACT situation multiple times. Here's what you need to know: 1. The length of your marriage (just under 2 years) IS sufficient because you had his child. There's a special exception to the 9-month rule when a child is involved. 2. Your disability conversion to retirement DID lock in a reduced benefit amount. 3. You ABSOLUTELY should schedule an appointment with SSA to compare benefit amounts. Your husband's theoretical benefit has received 36 years of COLA increases! 4. Unfortunately, retroactive benefits for survivors are limited to 6 months maximum, so no massive backpay. 5. Be PERSISTENT! Take documentation of your marriage and your child's birth certificate to prove relationship. Good luck! Let us know what happens!

Have you tried calling the SSA to discuss this? I had a similar question last month and spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to someone. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Seriously worth it when dealing with complicated situations like yours where you really need to talk to someone who can look at your specific record. The agent I spoke with was able to tell me exactly what I qualified for.

everyone always talks about how you should get benefits on your spouse's record if it's higher than yours but literally NO ONE at social security ever brought this up to me when my husband died. i had to figure it out by myself 5 years later and by then they wouldn't give me any back pay. the system is designed to keep us confused and save them money!! make sure you go IN PERSON if possible, the phone people don't always know what they're talking about

To directly answer your question: Yes, you may be entitled to survivor benefits even 36 years later. There's no deadline for applying for these benefits. Here's what matters in your situation: 1) You were married and had his child - this qualifies you regardless of marriage length 2) You never remarried before age 60 - this preserves your eligibility 3) Your current benefit amount vs. his potential benefit amount - you'd receive whichever is higher When calculating survivor benefits, the SSA determines what your husband would receive if he were alive today, based on his earnings record adjusted for inflation (COLA) over these 36 years. Even with limited work history, this might exceed your reduced benefit amount. I recommend scheduling an appointment with your local SSA office specifically to evaluate survivor benefits. Bring your marriage certificate, his death certificate, your child's birth certificate, and your current benefit information. They'll need to perform calculations to determine if switching to survivor benefits would increase your monthly payment. Unfortunately, retroactive benefits are limited to 6 months maximum for survivors, regardless of when you could have first claimed them.

this doesnt make any sense to me. if he died 36 years ago how would they even know what his ss would be now?? he never worked all those years to pay into the system?? can someone explain how they figure that out

I just want to thank everyone for their helpful responses. I had no idea I might still be eligible for survivor benefits after all these years! I've scheduled an appointment with my local SSA office for next week and will bring all the documents suggested. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high since my husband was so young when he died and didn't have a long work history, but even a small increase would be helpful with my medical bills. I'll update once I find out what they say. I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my situation!