My wife passed away january 2017 AT THE AGE OF 87. HER MONTHLY RETIREMENT OF AFTER MEDICARE DEDUCTIONS $1159.00 WAS MORE THAN MINE WHICH IS $1041.00. i AM 86, AM I ENTITLED TO SURVIVOR BENEFITS?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Provided that your wife's own benefit rate before any withholdings was more than your benefit rate before any withholdings, then yes you should be eligible for survivor benefits. However, if you're receiving a government pension then it's possible that any widower's benefits you could qualify for would be offset due to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision ( https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf).

Therefore, I really don't have enough information to tell you for sure whether or not you qualify for survivor benefits. If you haven't already done so, you should probably consider contacting Social Security to see about filing an application.

Best, Jerry