My mother passed away in the US when I was 13 in 2001. My father was not and still isn’t living in the US and I was bounced round to different family members that helped raise me as a child. I was never adopted and technically was a ward of the state. Life has been hard and I just recently found out about death benefits which I believe I may be entitled to. Do you have any advise for me to claim these benefits? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, unless you are disabled from an impairment that began before you turned age 22 it doesn't sound like you could qualify for survivor benefits from your mother's record. If your mother was insured for Social Security benefits, then you probably would have been eligible for child's benefits while you were under age 18. However, you can't claim survivor benefits retroactively for more than 6 months. Therefore, unless you're disabled it's probably too late for you to be able to get any benefits from your mother's Social Security account.

If you are disabled due to an impairment that began before you turned age 22 and if you are unmarried, you can apply for survivor benefits by calling Social Security.

Best, Jerry