My mother has recently passed away and I have taken guardianship of my younger sister who is seventeen years old. In my home I now have my husband and three children. My question is what are the benefits entitled to be spent on? My sister has it in her mind that she is to spend it on whatever she sees and wants. My sister says that it is her money and that she can do what she wants with her money.
By Mary D
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You are going to have to talk to the Social Security Office and/or an attorney to find the correct answer to this. The people that I know that receive these benefits use them to help pay for the support of the child. That being said a lot will depend on the amount received, because in a household a child only needs a certain amount for clothing, housing, etc. If the person caring/raising the child doesn't need the money or the full amount of the benefits, it should be put into savings for college. Like I said talk to a person that is more apt to know.
When you contact SS:
Is your sister still in high school-important as here benefits usually end at 18, or 19 in some cases, depending upon when she graduates from high school.
If she has left school and did not graduate, possibly little or no benefits will be due her as the intent of the SS benefit is to provide help til the dependent has graduated from high school.
All SS benefit information will be sent to you so your sister will have all her questions answered in print. Hopefully she will not be too upset?
I believe it would be a natural thing for your 17 year old sister to want to think that any money received on her mother's behalf should be just for her "desires" the same as one would feel/think about an inheritance.
But of course this is not the case in receiving benefits from her mother's social security account. SS was originally set up to help provide for seniors when they could no longer work but still needed shelter, food and other essentials.
The principle is still the same except it is extended to take care of children of deceased workers. The benefit check may have your name and your sisters name but the money is provided to the person who is providing her care - shelter, food, clothing, school needs, and anything else necessary for her to survive. Of course, if possible, it would be nice to give her some "spending" money but it should only be after her needs are provided for.
I believe you really need to talk to a social security spokesperson and get informative answers to your very valid question. Since your sister is 17 it seems it would be best if she accompanied you to hear the answers from the agent instead of hearing them from you. This may help her to understand this check is not really an inheritance/gift for her to spend as she wishes. I believe the check would only go to her if she is living elsewhere and paying for her own living expenses.
Also, you may wish to ask how long the money will be provided and if there are any stipulations that may change this date.
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