How to handle Social Security benefits when a loved one dies

Dear Savvy Senior, How are Social Security benefits handled when someone dies? After a long illness, my 68-year-old father has only weeks left to live. I am helping my mom figure out her financial situation going forward, including what to do about my dad’s Social Security after he passes away, but could use some help.

Only Son

Dear Only,

I’m very sorry about the impending loss of your father. To help you and your mom understand what Social Security provides and what needs to be done when a family member dies, here are some key points you should know.

Your first order of business will be to make sure the Social Security Administration is notified when your father dies, so his monthly benefits will be stopped. In most cases, the funeral home providing his burial or cremation services will do it. You’ll need to provide your dad’s Social Security number to the funeral director so they can make the report. But, if they don’t offer that service or you’re not using a funeral home, you’ll need to do it yourself by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213.

When Benefits Stop

There are a couple of things to be aware of regarding your dad’s Social Security benefits.

For starters, you need to know that a person is due no Social Security benefits in the month of their death.

With Social Security, each payment received represents the previous month’s benefits. So, if your dad were to pass away in August, the check for that month – which would be paid in September – would need to be returned if received. If the payment is made by direct deposit, you would need to contact the bank or other financial institution and ask them to return any benefits sent after your dad’s death.

Survivor Benefits

When your father passes away, your mother may be eligible for survivor benefits on his record if she’s at least age 60 (50 if disabled). Here’s how that works depending on her situation.

If your mom is currently receiving Social Security benefits based on your father’s work record, her spousal benefit will automatically convert to survivor benefits when the government gets notice of your dad’s death. She cannot receive both spousal and survivor benefits at the same time.

Widows are due between 71 percent (at age 60) and 100 percent (at full retirement age) of what the husband was getting before he died.

If, however, your mom is eligible for retirement benefits (but hasn’t applied yet), she can apply for retirement or survivor benefits when her husband passes away and switch to the other (higher) benefit later. Or, if your mom is already receiving her retirement benefits on her own work record, she could switch to survivor benefits if it offers a higher payment. She cannot, however, receive both benefits.

To apply for survivor benefits, your mom will need to call Social Security at 800-772-1213 and schedule an appointment. She can’t do it online.

You should also know that survivor benefits are available to former spouses and dependents who meet SSA qualifications – see www.SSA.gov/benefits/survivors.

Also note that if your mom collects a survivor benefit while working, and she’s under full retirement age, her benefits may be reduced depending on her earnings. See www.SSA.gov/ pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf for details.

Death Benefit

In addition to survivor benefits, Social Security will also pay a one-time payment of $255 to your mom (the surviving spouse) if she was living with your dad at the time of his death.

If they were living apart, she may still receive this onetime payment if she’s collecting spousal benefits on his work record.

In the absence of a surviving spouse, the lump-sum payment can go to a son or daughter who is eligible for benefits on the deceased’s work record.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

SOLUTION ON PAGE 22

TODAY’S HISTORY:

ANDREWS MCMEEL

• In 1863, draft riots began in New York City. An estimated 119 people were killed, with thousands of African American residents relocating due to the destruction.

• In 1973, Alexander Butterfield, deputy assistant to President Richard Nixon, revealed the existence of the “Nixon Tapes” to a senatorial committee investigating the Watergate scandal.

• In 1977, a 25-hour blackout hit the New York City area, leaving some 9 million people in darkness and resulting in looting and disorder.

TODAY’S FACT:

• Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison all proposed that Congress pass some form of mandatory military conscription or registration, but none of the proposals succeeded.

SOLUTION FOUND ON PAGE 22

June 30 at 9:49 a.m. — Report of a male in Home Depot who was trespassed. The male, age 33, was issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft, unlawful trespass and violating conditions of release.

June 30 at 4:23 p.m. — Suspicious female on Hawthorne Street. The female, age 31, had an active arrest warrant. She was issued a citation to appear in court.

July 1 at 12:53 a.m. — Following a traffic stop it was discovered that a male, age 25, had active arrest warrants. He was transported to the correctional facility. The male was also issued a citation to appear in court for driving with a criminally suspended license.

July 1 at 2:52 a.m. — Report of a suspicious vehicle on Porterwood Drive. A female, age 30, was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

July 1 at 1:33 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. A male, age 32, was issued a citation to appear in court.

July 1 at 3:37 p.m. — Male on the property of Walmart that was not supposed to be there. The male, age 32, was issued a citation to appear in court for violating conditions of release.

July 2 at 11:06 a.m. — Report of a retail theft at Home Depot. A male, age 45, was issued a citation to appear in court.

July 2 at 11:45 a.m. — Report of a retail theft at Home Depot. A male, age 38, was issued a citation to appear in court.

July 2 at 6:46 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Walmart. Suspects have not been located. Case is still under investigation.

July 3 at 10:52 a.m. — Stolen bicycle recovered at Walmart. Bike was returned to the owner.

July 4 at 5:17 a.m. — Following a motor vehicle stop, a juvenile male was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

July 4 at 7:39 a.m. — 11 storage units broken into on Avenue A. Case is still under investigation.

July 4 at 11:17 p.m. — Following a motor vehicle stop, a female, age 44, was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

July 5 at 3:51 p.m. — Report of embezzlement at Walmart. A juvenile male was issued a citation to appear in court.

July 5 at 4:50 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. A male, age 40, had an active arrest warrant. He was transported to the correctional facility.

July 6 at 3:17 a.m. — Report of an out of control male on Zephyr Road. Male was transported to the correctional facility for detox.

Williston Police officers also responded to 12 alarms, 11 motor vehicle crashes and made 16 traffic stops during this time frame.

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Ages 13-plus. Saturday, Aug. 12, 1-3 p.m. Instructors, Root 7

Day Camps

You can still register for Summer day camps

• R.E.C. Camp, for kids entering grades 1-6. Mondays-Fridays, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. or half days 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. or 12-5:30 p.m.

• L.I.T. Camp, for kids entering grades 7-8. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

• O.U.R. Camps, for kids entering grades 6-8. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Enrichment Camps

There are still spots available in the following enrichment camps this summer.

Art with Letters Camp, Abstract Art Camp, Creative Engineering Camp, Voltage Soccer Camp, Drawing in Nature Camp, Lego BricQ Camp, Wicked Cool STEAM Camp, Chess Wizards Camp, Safe Sitters Camp, Horse Camp and Ninja Science Camp.

Williston

Adams Farm Market

Belle’s Café

Dorothy Alling

Montpelier

continued from page 4 partner, locals gave them coffee, along with some dry clothes, and allowed them to sleep in one of the Court Street offices for the night. But she was eager to get home to Bakersfield. “At this point, I just miss my cat,” she said.

Two bikers offered to accompany the couple part of the way up their planned route through Middlesex. They shouldered their packs and started walking.

Elsewhere on Tuesday morning, Steve Melamed watched the floodwaters from the corner of Cedar and School Streets. Describing himself as a “flood refugee” from nearby Middlesex, Melamed had been working on a property he owns in that town until about 6 p.m. Monday, when he tried to get home to South Middlesex.

“I tried to drive five or six different routes,” he said. “All got washed out. Each way I got stuck.”

He was able to get to Montpelier, where he plans to stay with friends. He said his wife and child were home, without power, but doing fine.

Mike Doyle said he was concerned about the dam as he stood in front of the School Street guest house his family has owned for 70 years. The water was up to the front steps of the guest house, where six people are renting, all traveling nurses, he said.

He said he knew from photos he has seen that the floodwaters reached roughly the same spot now as they did in the 1927 flood, which was worse than after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

“All of Saint Paul Street, as far as I can see, is a lake, and all the way down School Street,” he observed, “a good one or two or three feet of water.”

It was enough for a kayak and a canoe to navigate — which they did.

As of mid-morning, Doyle said he had two to three feet of water in his basement, and he was worried about his furnace, which he replaced just two years ago. He did not buy flood insurance, because he never thought the waters would rival the 1927 flood.

Business owners, too, were surveying the damage, which in many cases was significant.

Among them was Robert Kasow, co-owner of Bear Pond Books on flooded Main Street. In a parking lot behind the Montpelier Fire Department, he got as close to the bookstore as he could on dry land. He said there was probably water in the store, but he did not know how high the water got inside.

He said he cleared out anything valuable from the basement, but did not have time to get anything more than two feet off the ground.

Patty Joslyn was keeping tabs on the flooding in her store, AWE, on State Street, via a security camera. She said she had time Monday to roll up the wool carpets on the floor. The water came in not from State Street, she said, but through the back end. She thought there may be 6 inches of water in her store, but it was hard to tell by the camera.

Other business owners told the same story Tuesday of having to wait until they can access their businesses to assess the damage.

“It’s just kind of a waiting game to see when they will let us go downtown and have a look at things,” said Shannon Bates, who owns Enna, a restaurant on State Street.

Sarah DeFelice, who owns Bailey Road, a home furnishings, clothing and gift store on Main Street, said she was in a similar situation.

“We can’t even reach the back door because there is so much water,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “We can only hope that we moved enough things high enough.”

Among those rescued in at least a half-dozen emergency efforts in the city were two adults and an infant, who were boated to safety from a dwelling next to Capitol Copy shortly before noon. Afterward, crew members from Colchester Technical Rescue loaded their swift response boat onto a trailer and headed back to their base at the Berlin Fire Department.

One of the rescuers said many people were left on upper floors along Main Street, but he said they were high enough to be safe.

By 3 p.m., the flood waters had begun to recede, leaving the dry spots in the city with a coat of brown sludge. A handful of people waded through the water and one white pickup truck, sporting a dog, drove by.

Cecil L. Royea, Sr.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Cecil L. Royea, Sr., 96, at his home in Williston, on Jan. 26, 2023, with his wife Christine was by his side.

He was born on July 21, 1926 in Quebec, Canada, to Lester A. and Doris B. (Killlen) Royea. He was a United States Army Corporal during World War II. He worked at General Electric for many years in Burlington at Lakeside and then at Home Avenue where he was a group leader in sheet metal fabrication retiring in 1989. After retirement Cecil worked for his son driving a truck for Lilly Trucking and Leasing and for Truck Depot shuttling trucks.

In 1951 Cecil and his brother Basil used to race cars at Enosburg Speedway in Enosburg

Falls, VT. He enjoyed working on cars, making swings with his father-in-law, and telling stories of his antics as a youth.

Left to cherish Cecil’s memory are his wife, Christine of Williston; his children Nancy (Tom) Milne of Preston, CT, Cecil L. Royea, Jr. of Williston, VT, Doris (Charles) Martin of Barre, Ellen (Jim) Ryan of Berlin, Mary (Tim) Perry of Valdosta, GA, Tamara (John) Alarie of Hartland, VT; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren; his brothers Stewart Royea of Wales, MA, Cedric Royea of Orange, VT; his cousin Carolyn (Brian) Bowan of Quebec; many nieces and nephews, and his loyal furry companion, Peanut. Cecil loved to take walks with Peanut and talk to neighbors.

He was predeceased by his brothers Alvin L. Royea of Clinton, CT and Basil Royea of Richford.

The family would like to thank UVM Home Health and Hospice for the exceptional care given to Cecil. They would also like to thank the compassionate staff at Gifford Funeral Home for their help during this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852 or The American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231.

A graveside service, with military honors, will be held on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. at Lakeview Cemetery, 455 North Avenue, Burlington, VT.

Arrangements are in care of Gifford Funeral Home, 22 Depot Street, Richmond, VT.