Social Security Benefits after death

[harrisonsm]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington State

My grandmother passed away 10/1 and my mohter is the Rep Payee of her bank account. My grandmother only had SS as income, she was on DSHS and received Medicare/Medicade. She no other source of income or life insurance. My question: There is money in her account and my mother is not sure what she is allowed to use for funeral expenses if anything.

Can she used the money to fly her sister up for the funeral? Are we allowed to purchase a headstone? Can you please send me some information as the SSI website is very unclear and no one has returned our calls.

[BL]

You don't say what sort of SS . Depending on the type it may or may not be spent.

A payee must notify SSA of the recipient's death .

The payee should keep trying to contact the local office or go down there in person Like today or tomorrow and report/inquire .

[url=http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10076.html#how]A Guide For Representative Payees[/url]


As a payee, if you fail to report any of the actions to Social Security, the beneficiary may be paid too much money. In that case, you may have to return the money the beneficiary was not due and the payments may stop. If Social Security determines you intentionally withheld information in order to
continue to receive payments, you may be criminally prosecuted. Criminal penalties can include fines and imprisonment.

If you are a representative payee for a person who gets SSI, you should be aware that savings and other resources are limited to $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple) under the SSI program. Interest earned on savings counts toward that limit. In determining a child’s resources, money in the child’s dedicated savings account does not count toward the resource limit. For more information, ask for What You Need To Know When You Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (Publication No. 05-11011).

Medicare and Medicaid
As a representative payee, you may need to help the beneficiary get medical services or treatment. This assistance is required by law for children *receiving SSI. You should keep a record of medical services and medical expenses not covered by Medicare and Medicaid. For information about Medicare coverage, ask for Medicare (Publication No. 05-10043).

If the beneficiary has low income and few resources, the state may pay Medicare premiums and some out-of-pocket medical expenses. A person may qualify even if his or her income or resources are too high for SSI. For information, contact the state or local medical assistance (Medicaid) agency, social service office or welfare office.

The beneficiary also may be able to get extra help paying for the annual deductibles, monthly premiums and prescription co-payments related to the Medicare prescription drug program (Part D). The beneficiary may qualify for extra help if he or she has limited income and resources. These income and resource limits change each year. For information about current income and resources limits, ask for Getting Help With Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs (Publication No. 05-10115).

If the beneficiary has both Medicaid with prescription drug coverage and Medicare, Medicare and Supplemental Security Income, or if the state pays for his or her Medicare premiums, they automatically will get this extra help and don’t have to apply.

For more information about getting extra help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs, call Social Security’s toll-free number or visit our website. You also can help the beneficiary apply for extra help online at Social Security’s website.

If you stop being a payee
If you will no longer be the payee, you must notify Social Security immediately. This is important because a new payee will have to be selected as soon as possible. When you are no longer responsible for the beneficiary, you must return any benefits, including interest and cash on hand, to Social Security. The funds will then be reissued to the beneficiary or to a new payee.

If the beneficiary dies

If the beneficiary dies, any saved benefits belong to his or her estate. They must be given to the legal representative of the estate or otherwise handled according to state law. If you need information about state law, contact the probate court or an attorney.

When a person who receives Social Security benefits dies, no check is payable for the month of death, even if he or she dies on the last day of the month. Any check received for the month of death or later must be returned. An SSI check, however, is payable for the month of death. But you must return any SSI checks that come after the month of death.

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