Social Security survivor benefits application stuck in processing for 5 months - what can we do?

Oh man im going through EXACTLY the same thing with my grandfather! My grandmother died in January and he's still waiting for survivor benefits too. Every time we call we get the same runaround... \

We tried going in person in May but they're

Contact your Congressional representative immediately. This is way too long for survivor benefits processing - they're typically prioritized and should be completed within 30-60 days. Your Congressional rep has staff dedicated to dealing with federal agencies like SSA who can often cut through the bureaucracy quickly.Also, make sure you have these documents readily available for when they finally process the claim:- Death certificate (certified copy)- Marriage certificate- Both SSNs- Your mom's birth certificate- Dad's most recent W-2 or tax returnOne other question - did your mom already have her own SS retirement benefits started before your dad passed? That affects how the survivor claim is processed.

Thank you so much for the advice! Yes, my mom was already collecting her own retirement benefits (started at 65). We did provide all those documents when we initially applied, but maybe they got lost in their system? I'll contact our Congressional rep today - didn't even think of that option!

My mom waited 4 months for survivor benefits last year and we found out they had \

Omg that's terrifying! Did they make her start the whole application over? We've been calling but it's so hard to even get through to a person. I'll definitely start documenting everything better.

Yes they made her redo everything but at least they backdated the payments to when she should have started receiving them. Just keep pushing!

There are a few important points to understand with survivor benefits that might help:1. If your mother was already receiving her own retirement benefits, she'll only receive the higher of either her own benefit or the survivor benefit (not both combined). This is called the \

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Dad's benefit was about $2,450/month, so it would definitely help mom if she can get the survivor benefit. I didn't know about the formal complaint option - I'll do that right away. Really appreciate the help!

After going through this nightmare with my own parent's survivor benefit claim, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was a game-changer. It gets you through to an actual SSA agent without the endless hold times. You can see how it works in their video: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puUI was skeptical but desperate after 7 weeks of trying, and I got through to an agent in under 10 minutes. The agent was able to see that my mom's claim had been assigned to an office but was sitting in someone's queue untouched. They flagged it as urgent and we had resolution within a week.Five months is DEFINITELY not normal - something's wrong with your claim and you need to speak to someone directly.

Does this actually work??? I've been trying to get through to Social Security for WEEKS about my disability review and keep getting disconnected!!

Yes, it really worked for me! My mom's survivor claim was just sitting there until I was able to get an agent on the phone who actually looked into it. The hold music alone was making me lose my mind before I found this.

did u try faxing them? sounds weird but my aunt got her survivr benefit fixed by sending a fax to the local office. seemed to get someones attension better than calling. also try EARLY morming calls like right when they open.

I hadn't thought about faxing! Do you know if she faxed to the local office or the main number? I've tried early morning calls (6:30am when the phone lines open) but still end up with 2+ hour wait times.

One other thing to check - log into your mother's my Social Security account online (ssa.gov/myaccount). Sometimes there are messages or status updates there that they don't communicate otherwise. You can also see if there are any scheduled payments.If she doesn't have an online account set up, help her create one immediately. It provides much more transparency into what's happening with her benefits.

We did check her online account and it just shows her current retirement benefit payment schedule, nothing about the survivor application status. I'll keep checking it though in case something changes. Thanks for the suggestion!

WAIT IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SSI SURVIVOR BENEFITS AND SOCIAL SECURITY SURVIVOR BENEFITS????? Did we apply for the wrong thing???? My grandfather applied for survivor benefits but someone told him he should have applied for SSI??

No, they're completely different programs:- Social Security survivor benefits are based on the deceased's work record and are available to qualifying spouses, children, and sometimes parents. This is what most widows/widowers need.- SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a needs-based program for people with limited income and resources who are disabled, blind, or 65+. Most likely your grandfather needs survivor benefits, not SSI, especially if your grandmother worked and paid into Social Security. SSI is typically much lower than survivor benefits.

omg thank you!!!! We definitely applied for the right thing then. He just needed the survivors benefits based on my grandmothers work record. Whew!

Has your mom checked her mail SUPER carefully? When my mom was waiting for survivor benefits, they sent her a letter asking for additional info but it looked like junk mail and she almost threw it out! The letter was holding up her whole application and once she responded it only took like 2 weeks to process.

That's a good point! I'll ask mom to check all her mail from the past few months. With everything going on after dad passed, it's possible she missed something important. I really appreciate the tip!

I'm so sorry for your loss and for the financial stress this is causing. When my husband passed in 2023, I also applied for survivor benefits. It took about 7 weeks to process, which seemed long at the time, but nothing like what you're experiencing. One thing that helped was asking specifically for the \

Thank you for your condolences and the helpful advice. I hadn't heard about the \