Can I claim Social Security survivor benefits from ex-husband who died before collecting SS?

Yes, you absolutely have options here. Since you were married to your ex for more than 10 years before divorcing, and you haven't remarried before age 60, you qualify for survivor benefits from your ex-husband's record. The key factor is that when your current husband passes away, you'll be eligible to collect whichever benefit is higher - survivor benefits from your current husband OR your ex-husband. Social Security will pay the higher of the two amounts. The fact that your ex-husband died before collecting doesn't affect your eligibility for his survivor benefits. When the time comes, contact SSA and explain both marriages. They'll calculate both potential survivor benefits and pay you the higher amount.

The previous poster is mostly right, but I want to add some important details. First, you can apply for reduced survivor benefits as early as age 60 (or 50 if disabled). Second, you should know that taking survivor benefits early doesn't prevent you from switching to your own retirement benefit later if it would be higher. A strategy many people use: take the survivor benefit at 60 (though it'll be reduced for claiming early), then switch to your own retirement benefit at your Full Retirement Age (FRA) or even at 70 when it maxes out if your own benefit would be higher. Call SSA about 3 months before you plan to file to review your options and get the exact benefit amounts. Having both records to potentially claim from gives you more flexibility.

DONT get your hopes up too much!!!! SSA makes EVERYTHING complicated. My neighbor was in almost the exact scenario (married 22 yrs to ex, remarried, both died). She's been fighting with SSA for 8 MONTHS to get her ex's higher benefit!!!! They keep saying her paperwork is "processing" but nothing EVER happens!!! She calls and calls but gets nowhere - just sits on hold for HOURS only to be disconnected!!! They even lost her marriage certificate TWICE!!! The whole system is BROKEN!!!!

not to go off topic but make sure you also get all your ducks in a row with marige certificates and death certificates. social security lost my stuff THREE times and i had to keep sending it in. so frustrating!!! make copies of EVERYTHING.

i think your mixing up SSI and SSDI. you cant get SSI from an ex husband. you need to apply for SSDI right away when he dies.

Something else to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet - the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). If you worked in a job that didn't pay into Social Security (like some government or education jobs), these provisions could reduce any survivor benefits you might receive. Do you have any work history in jobs that didn't withhold Social Security taxes? If so, that's another factor to discuss with SSA when you eventually apply.

my sis went thru this exact thing! she got MORE from her ex who made way more $$ than her 2nd husband!! she had to fill out a special form i think it was SSA-10 for survivor benefits. she said to make sure to tell them about BOTH marriages cuz they don't always put 2+2 together on their own!!

One final important point: You mentioned you're 58 now. If your current husband passes away while you're still under age 60, and you decide to claim survivor benefits from either husband, be aware that remarrying before age 60 would make you ineligible for survivor benefits from either previous husband. However, if you wait until after age 60 to remarry, you preserve your right to survivor benefits from previous marriages. Just something to keep in mind for future planning.