Florida Widow Claims

Helping Clients Secure the Benefits Their Spouses Worked For

Losing a partner is one of the most devastating events a person can experience. After the initial loss, surviving spouses are often caught up in a whirlwind of activity. A time that should be spent mourning is often inundated with funeral planning, burial expenses, and other difficult tasks. Once all this dies down, survivors often realize they’re in a far worse economic position than before. Fortunately, widows’ and widowers’ benefits in Florida may be available.

At The Law Office of Nancy L. Cavey, our law firm is committed to helping our clients achieve financial security. While we often help injured workers or individuals with medical conditions secure disability benefits, our legal team is also experienced in assisting widows and widowers with getting the benefits their loved ones worked for. If you have questions regarding survivor’s benefits, contact our law firm today for a free consultation.

You may be entitled to the following benefits and more.

Social Security Survivor Benefits

One of the most common survivor’s benefits available comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). These are available if the deceased spouse worked and paid into Social Security. There are eligibility requirements that the decedent must have met, and any benefits are based on what they earned during their lifetimes.

However, the level of survivor benefits available to a person can vary based on their situation. For instance, each of the following individuals will receive different percentages of the maximum monthly payments:

• Surviving spouses at full retirement age
• Surviving spouses older than 60 but below retirement age
• Surviving spouses aged 50-59
• Surviving spouses of any age with a disability or caring for a child age 16 or younger
• Children under the age of 18
• Dependent parents who are at least 62 years old

It’s also worth noting that benefits may be available to children, parents, and even divorced spouses who meet certain eligibility requirements. However, surviving spouses need to be aware that there are some issues — such as remarriage — that can affect their ability to secure widow’s or widower’s benefits in Florida.

Contact our law firm today, and we’ll help you better understand your unique situation.

Veterans Survivor Benefits

Only about 1% of the American population will ever serve in the Armed Forces. Therefore, most surviving spouses will not be eligible for veterans survivor benefits. However, there may be various types of resources available to you if your partner was in the military. These are typically financial in nature, but there are also other types of widow’s and widower’s benefits in Florida for those whose loved ones served.

In fact, you may be entitled to all the following:

• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
• Survivors pension (death pension)
• Education and training assistance
• Home loan guaranty benefits
• Burial benefits
• Healthcare benefits

It takes a special kind of person to commit their lives to serving their country. Regardless of the specifics of your spouse’s service, you may be entitled to these and many other benefits. Additionally, receiving veterans benefits will not prevent you from securing other types of assistance — such as Social Security death benefits.

This is why it’s critical to understand what you’re entitled to. Our law firm can help.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits

There are times when a person could lose a loved one and not qualify for typical widow’s and widower’s benefits in Florida. After all, many programs that provide financial resources have strict eligibility requirements. Fortunately, there are often still options available. For instance, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation death benefits if your loved one died while engaged in employment duties.

Workers’ compensation benefits can provide financial assistance to surviving spouses to help cover lost wages, medical expenses incurred due to the workplace injury, and other associated costs linked to the injury or illness. Unfortunately, workers’ comp providers will often try to avoid paying out what’s rightfully owed. This is why you should consider working with a Florida workers’ compensation attorney.

Pension and Long-Term Disability Survivor Benefits

Some employer-sponsored pension plans offer widow’s and widower’s benefits in Florida for those who lose their spouses. Benefits provided in these pension plans are often paid as either a lump sum or a survivor annuity. The specifics will be spelled out in the pension plan, so you’ll need to refer to your loved one’s employment documents to learn more.

Additionally, you can likely secure survivor’s benefits if your partner had a long-term disability plan. These plans serve as a type of insurance that provides financial assistance when someone suffers an illness or injury that will keep them from working for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, they also typically pay benefits if a policyholder dies.

If you encounter any issues securing these widows’ and widowers’ benefits in Florida, it’s important to speak with an experienced legal professional. Pensions and other employment benefits plans are covered under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). If someone is in violation of this law, an ERISA lawyer in Florida may be able to assist.

Contact a Widow’s and Widower’s Benefits Lawyer in Florida

If you’ve recently lost your partner, it can be difficult to understand how to move forward. For some people, the event can be just as financially devastating as it is emotional. However, surviving spouses don’t need to be financially in need to secure survivors’ benefits. Your loved one worked hard to earn the benefits available to you, and with the help of a skilled legal professional, it’s possible to secure every dime you deserve.

At the Law Office of Nancy L. Cavey, our team of dedicated legal professionals understands what you’re going through. We’ve seen our own family members struggle to get the benefits they were entitled to. This is why we’re committed to simplifying the process for each of our clients. If you need help understanding or determining your eligibility for widows’ and widowers’ benefits in Florida, contact us at (727) 477-3263 for a free consultation.