North Texan Asks for Help Accessing Spouse's Last Benefit Payment

A North Texan asked NBC 5 Responds for help getting his spouse’s last Social Security benefit payment, saying the bank put a hold on the money.

A few days before going home on hospice care, Pacita and Randy Brown toasted their decades together.

“We just celebrated our 41st anniversary while she was still in the hospital,” said Randy Brown. “We had lychee cake and Sprite in the hospital for our anniversary. I think it was the best one we ever had.”

Brown said his wife passed away July 7. The next week, Brown said the Social Security benefit payment his wife would have received for June showed as pending in their joint bank account.

“It was my understanding that she was alive for the entire month of June and the benefits that were paid in July were for the month of June. So, she was entitled to those benefits,” Brown said.

Brown asked NBC 5 Responds to find out how to get the $1,341 payment.

Our team connected Brown with the Social Security Administration which provided a form saying Pacita Brown was entitled to the payment.

Brown said his bank told him it needed another letter from the SSA saying the agency wouldn’t reclaim the money. Brown says he went back to the SSA and provided a second form into the bank, which then released the funds.

Brown’s bank, Chase, tells NBC 5 Responds federal benefit payments deposited after the death of a customer can be reclaimed by the government. It said, typically, a hold is placed for up to 180 days.

Chase said a customer can speed up the process by providing form SSA-2458 or a letter from the federal agency confirming the funds will not be reclaimed.

Generally, Social Security benefits are paid monthly for the prior month. For example, you would receive a July payment in August.

Steve Benton, a financial counselor with the Elder Financial Safety Center, explained the recipient has to be alive the entire month to get the benefit.

“The way the Social Security laws are written, if you die within any day of July, July 1st or July 31st, then they will claw back that August payment,” said Benton.

Benton said information about a death gets to the Social Security Administration pretty quickly these days and he says a bank should be able to tell if a consumer was eligible for the full month’s payment.

If not, the SSA is the next stop.

“We took care of it,” said Brown about reaching out to NBC 5 Responds. “It took like a week and a half, but still, it's a week and a half that shouldn't have happened.”

Brown said the process added to an already long list of tasks in a time of mourning.

“There's bank accounts and retirements and other stuff to take care of and just the physical stuff around the house. I didn't need an extra burden like that,” said Brown.

The Federal Reserve said consumers should reach out to SSA and their banks as soon as practicable to let them know about the passing of their loved one and ask for advice on how to proceed.

The Fed also said there is a process for consumers to make regulators aware of complaints they have with banks. The consumers can file a complaint with their bank and/or with the regulator.

To get in touch with the Social Security Administration, you can call this hotline at 1-800-772-1213.

If you need help in person, you can find your local office here. https://www.ssa.gov/locator/

NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and a resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or fill out our customer complaint form.