This missive was originally posted on 3/18/2005

My mother died on Friday, February 25th at 9:30 pm. I was told by the staff at the mortuary on Tuesday, that I must go to the Social Security office.  I go to the office on Wednesday, and was told they were sorry that my mother died. Then they said she is not entitled to any benefits for March, since she died Feb. 25th.

Good heavens, how stupid do they think I am.  If she is not living, she should not and cannot be receiving benefits. So much for sympathy!

Then the clincher came. A letter from social security about 3 weeks later:

"We are sorry to learn of Lucille O'Connor's recent loss. Please accept our sincere sympathy.  Lucille O'Connor is not entitled to monthly benefits for February 2005. We cannot pay benefits, the month of death, or later."

"Can't pay benefits the month of death"...........

She died on the 25th day of a 28 day month. I still must pay for her care that month. I don't get a refund for services she received before she died.  My mother got $947 a month from social security. She was lucky she did not have to live on that. Others don't. 

Her care costs were $5,000 a month because she needed total personal care because she had Alzheimer's Disease.  She was not eligible for Medicaid and my parents did not have Long-term Care Insurance. And we are supposed to repay Social Security because she died at the before the end of the month? Absurd. Not even pro-rated. 

My mom received $947 a month--Only because she got half of my father's social security when he died.  Without that, her income would have been less than $500 a month. 

To add insult to injury, the next part of the letter goes on: 

"You may have saved some social security money for Lucille O'Connor.That belongs to her estate." Saved?

When her care was $5,000 per month and her SS income $947? 

I wrote them a blistering letter.  They never pressed for the repayment.

I'm a fighter. How many others would have repaid that? 

More later.  Kathleen