In continuation of "wish I'd known..."

[brooksea]

Becca started a thread about things she wish she had known.

I wanted to add some things, but the thread is closed.

This statement is not necessarily true regarding survivor's benefits, as I have found out differently today:

~ The max that you can get for you and your children is: $1348.00 per month. $674.00 for you and $674.00 will be split between however many children you have.

I believe that amount differs, depending the work history/credits of the spouse you have survived.

HEADS UP! If you have SS doing direct deposit, keep in mind that they can mistakenly withdraw those funds from your account upon death of spouse, as was my case. So if you have already paid bills with that money, you are SOL! And they will take their sweet time rectifying the situation.

HEADS UP! When your spouse dies, for God's sake, make sure the dang doctor signs the death certificate ASAP! You cannot get any life insurance money, otherwise. Duh! I'm sitting on a mountain of money! NOT!

And don't forget, you must apply for survivor's benefits. It is not automatic and you will have to prove you are the spouse with a marriage certificate (original) if they do not have it verified on record to begin with. So if you are in the phase of applying for SSDI at diagnosis with your pALS, make sure that SS makes a copy of your original marriage cert for the record!

I'm not making this stuff up, folks! I would cry, but what good would it do! What a nightmare! Looking for my sanity... :lol:

 

[pmbenb83]

Thanks CJ. I heed all suggestions from everyone on this forum. I'm feeling so overwhelmed just thinking about what is to come and to deal with it all with a broken heart. I'm going to need some heavy duty meds!

 

[cubcake]

pmbenb83- I recommend Atavan. Highly. Pardon the pun. I take 2 mg on nights when the lists and worry won't stop. On days I'm a mess but I have to go in to work, I quarter them and I can get through the day without making a blubbering idiot out of myself. My doctor says then, they are no longer Atavan, but F***itol.

 

[Q-man]

brooksea, the continued sharing of your battles and experiences is what i noted on my new member post. in the long run, it will help many others. i thank you. and, i am deeply saddened for your and your son's loss.
ed

 

[Miss]

Best thing to do with the SS checks is to have them deposited into one account (direct deposit required), and then transfer the money into another account and pay bills then. SS cannot take money out of any account but the one they made the direct deposit into. The same holds true for VA checks.

 

[brooksea]

Also, (now that I am delving into the debts my husband owed), if any of your spouse's debts were ever paid directly from the account you shared, the creditor may yank money out of your account without your permission. For example, if your spouse paid their creditor by check or debit card, you might wake up to money missing. And, if YOUR credit card was used to pay any of your spouses creditors, the same thing can happen.

I plan to open a new account at a new bank. I will then make sure SS direct deposits are changed to the new account. After that actually happens (checks deposited correctly), I will close the old account. Now I have to seriously consider closing my only credit card. I don't want to do that, so I'll have to check further into what I can do.

Check with your state laws about whether you as a spouse are responsible for the decedent's debts, as long as you were not a co-signer.

And, another thing: if your spouse had any retirement accounts you will have to roll them over into your name and provide copy of death cert and then ask for a disbursement, if that is what you wish. LOL I have to fill out about 10 pages of stuff for $149.46. It may not be worth it to mail it after they take out taxes and penalty!

 

[Miss]

What! I've never heard of such a thing! My husband's name is no longer on the account, so no one can take any money out of MY account if I was not a cosigner. If you were merely an authorized user on an account, you are not responsible for any of the debt.

Does anyone know how to show a disbursement from an IRA that you rolled right back into an IRA on the tax return?

 

[brooksea]

Missy, it happens! I've been researching this and found that "widows" especially are at risk. I'm going to an attorney I used to work with to let him handle all his debts. My luck has not been good with all this insurance and SS stuff. I feel like after years of doing the best I could, I should get some kind of break. I'm done... I'll let this guy handle it or at least tell me I don't have to worry about anything. I'm just worn out with delay after incompetent delay in paperwork.

I would think if you rolled the disbursement back into an IRA you wouldn't have to worry about it. But, I'm a dumbass, as of late.

 

[cubcake]

Yes, Ma'am, Missy.......to show an IRA rollover, just put the full amount of the rollover on line 15a of your Form 1040 (or 11a on the 1040A, whichever you're filing). On 15b (or 11b) you can put a $0, if you want, or actually print the word "ROLLOVER."

That's all there is to it!

Brooksea....You're the one so many of us are looking up to, both for your strength and for your thoughtful and generous sharing of experiences and skills. You could NEVER be a dumbass!

 

[rwaxsis]

Also - re: the IRA, if you are under the age of 59 1/2, DO NOT roll your spouse's IRA into your own account. Have the IRA Trustee set it up as an Inherited IRA so that you'll be able to take penalty free distributions if you need them. Distributions to an IRA beneficiary are penalty-free.

Over age 59 1/2, you are okay to put the IRA in your own name but distributions from your own IRA will be subject to a 10% IRS penalty until you are age 59 1/2.

If your IRA Trustee can't or won't set it up as an Inherited IRA for you, transfer the IRA to a Trustee who will.

 

[kmendsley]

I wish I would have known...

Social Workers were free and I was entitled to one of them since the beginning of this hellish journey when fighting with my insurance company.

 

[KissJ]

Thank you for all Heads Up! I appreciate knowing how to handle "things" to come and how to prevent additional stress!

 

[st123]

Very good info. Thanks to all for sharing!

 

[Miss]

Don't forget that if you set it up as an inherited IRA, you have to take minimum distributions.

 

[Miss]

Does anyone know how to handle a child's social security payments on the tax return?