Ask Larry

My wife died in 2002 she was sick 4 yrs before she died. She applied for ss but was denied first time then just before she died she was approved. Then after she died ss notified me ss owed her 7000.00 dollars. At the time I didn't need the money so I never followed up on it. Now that I'm older and with health problem I could use the money. Am I eligible for it now after so many yrs?

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. It sounds like you'd be eligible to claim the amount that was due your wife based on what you've described. As far as I know, there is no time limit for claiming an underpayment of benefits that was due to a deceased Social Security beneficiary. The link to the application form to apply for an underpayment can be found on the following Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1724.html.

Also, it sounds like you may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the benefit options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best. Jerry