I have been reading about social security benefits for veterans and benefits for getting a portion of my wife's benefits after she has passed. Anything I should investigate?

Hi. Veterans can qualify for Social Security benefits just like anyone else can by paying Social Security taxes on their earnings. You must have a minimum of 40 quarters of coverage (QC), or roughly the equivalent of 10 years of Social Security covered earnings, to potentially qualify for Social Security retirement benefits.

The only special provisions involving veterans in the Social Security law are with regard to earnings credits. U.S. military veterans can be credited with Social Security earnings credits for periods of active duty from September 1940 through December 1956, even though military wages were exempt from Social Security taxes in those years. Military wages have been subject to Social Security tax withholding from 1957 to present, and in addition to the veteran's actual wages in those years they can be credited with deemed (i.e. extra) military wages for periods of active duty from 1957 through 2001.

The above described earnings credits can be used when calculating a veteran's Social Security retirement or disability benefits, potentially giving them a somewhat higher benefit rate then they would otherwise have received. Aside from that, though, there's no such thing a a special type of Social Security benefit for veterans, and veterans must meet the same age requirements for benefits as anyone else would.

If your wife dies before you it's possible that you could qualify for Social Security survivor benefits, but the eligibility requirements for those benefits are no different for veterans. Nor would the fact that you are a veteran mean that you could be paid a higher Social Security survivor rate.

Best, Jerry