Ombudsman Office assists with Social Security benefits issue after mother’s death

A building on West Monument Avenue that houses the Dayton-Montgomery County ombudsman's offices. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

A building on West Monument Avenue that houses the Dayton-Montgomery County ombudsman's offices. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

Editor’s note: The Dayton Ombudsman Office provides weekly columns to the Dayton Daily News to bring awareness to issues it sees. The column was recently moved to the Ideas & Voices section to help readers identify solutions to common problems in their communities.

A stepmother recently contacted the Ombudsman on behalf of her family and a matter with the Social Security Administration. The family had applied for Social Security benefits for their son after his mother’s death earlier this year. Several months have passed, and the family has had no communication from the agency. The Social Security Administration office could not communicate well with the stepmother because all the information was in the account of the deceased mother, and they had no authority with which to speak to the stepmother.

The Ombudsman contacted the Social Security Administration on behalf of the family. At first, the agency could not locate information about the claim because the information on record did not match that of the deceased. The Ombudsman was glad that the family contacted our office because the Social Security Administration could not have processed the application without complete and accurate information. The Ombudsman provided the Social Security Administration with the deceased mother’s full name and social security number, which enabled them to locate the account and the application for survivors’ benefits. The application for survivors’ benefits was made last June but had not been acted upon due to the missing pieces of information.

When accurate information about the deceased mother’s account was received, the agency was able to act on the claim. The Ombudsman was informed this month that the benefits for the child were deposited. The family was grateful for the Ombudsman intervention to help process their claim for the child.

The Ombudsman Column, a production of the Joint Office of Citizen Complaints, summarizes selected problems that residents have had with government services, schools, and nursing homes in the Dayton area. Contact the Ombudsman by writing to us at 11 W. Monument Avenue, Suite 606, Dayton 45402, calling 937- 223-4613, or by electronic mail at ombudsman@dayton-ombudsman.org.

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