If a grandparent has guardianship of a grandson and the mother died and the only information that you have is she died at the age of 21, and coroner will not release information on her death and is holding the body, and can for up to a year, how does one find out if he is due survivor benefits? Grandmother is the Father's mother. The two were never married. CPS was involved in the Guardianship. Maternal grandmother had a celebration of life and wanted donations to go for her only son who is in the care of the Paternal grandmother and Grandfather. She had two benefits for him, but never turned over the funds or let the guardians know how this son was to get the funds. The Paternal grandparents have setup an account for him when he turns 18 to use, since he is under two years old. How do they find out if little Oliver is due the survivor benefits?

Hi,

Social Security usually receives proof of a person's death from the death registries maintained by the individual states, so they may already have proof of Oliver's mother's death in their records. Since Oliver's mother died at such a young age, she would only need to have worked and paid into Social Security for the equivalent of roughly one and a half years in order for Oliver to qualify for child's benefits on her record. It sounds like whoever has custody of Oliver should contact Social Security and see about filing a claim for benefits on his behalf.

Best, Jerry