Death is certainly not an easy topic to discuss, but in reality death is a part of life. Even so, it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with especially if a death occurs when someone who has applied for Social Security disability dies before the final determination of a case.
Although it is rare, there are Social Security disability applicants who die before their disability case reaches a final outcome. This raises the questions – can the claim move forward?
In some instances, yes, a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim can move forward if either a spouse or child wishes to become a “substitute party” in the case.
Because the applicant who died worked long enough and more recent enough to meet the technical requirements of the SSDI program, the applicant, or the applicant’s substitute party, may be eligible for past due benefits, but not future benefits. The SSDI program is for disabled workers who have paid into Social Security to be eligible for either disability or retirement when the time comes. The disabled worker who dies would be eligible for benefits from the date of being found disabled until the time of death as long as this is a period of time of at least 12 consecutive months.
When it comes to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) things are a bit different. As long as an SSI claim was filed prior to the applicant dying, that person would potentially be eligible for benefits from the date of application until the date of death as long as the person was found disabled for a 12-month consecutive period.
To continue a claim for a deceased applicant Social Security is going to need a copy of the death certificate as well as forms completed by the substitute party.
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