Hi Larry I am asking this question because I'm not sure what to do I applied for widow's benefits they denied me I'm appealing it I don't know if it'll do any good but I was only married to him for a little over 5 months before he passed away but I was with him for 27 years we have four children he even raised my two boys I had from ages three and four and I'm not sure if it's going to do any good to appeal so I would like your input on that thank you

Hi. If you're the mother of at least one child of your deceased husband, then you can potentially qualify for widow's benefits regardless of how long you'd been married to him at the time of his death. Normally you must have been married for at least 9 months to qualify for widow's benefits, but having a child with the deceased is one of the alternatives to the 9 month duration of marriage requirement (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0401.html).

So, based on your description, I don't know why your claim for widow's benefits was disallowed. Assuming that the reason your claim was denied was because you'd been married for less than 9 months at the time your husband died and assuming that you meet the other requirements widow's benefits, such as being at least age 60 (or at least age 50 and disabled), then yes you may want to request an appeal.

However, even if you do qualify for widow's benefits, the best time to claim those benefits depends on a number of different variables. Therefore, you may want to consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry