Surviving spouses must file Form SSA-10 themselves to claim survivor benefits. The funeral home's death report does not trigger the switch automatically. A widow receiving a $1,700 spousal benefit may ...

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Having experienced a widowmaker, a severe form of a heart attack, Charlene Grabowski has been on a mission ever since to help women understand the warning signs of a heart ...

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Having experienced a widowmaker, a severe form of a heart attack, Charlene Grabowski has been on a mission ever since to help women understand the warning signs of a heart ...

Losing a spouse in your early 60s upends nearly everything, including a retirement plan built around two paychecks. For a 60-year-old widow whose late husband earned a $3,200 monthly Social Security ...

A 68-year-old woman buries her husband on a Tuesday. By Friday, the funeral home has filed paperwork with Social Security reporting his death. She assumes the rest will sort itself out. It will not.