My dad died when I was 11. I was then in the state's custody for 2-4 years and I was told that the state can't take your death benefits even when your in foster care. So my question is where did all of that money go?
By Emily from KY
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How old are you now? You are going to have to talk to a Social Security Office to find out the answer. I don't know how foster care works, but it could be foster parents got the money to pay for caring for you. Also there is a good possibility that the monthly allotment wouldn't have been that much to begin with. You make it sound like you think somebody got rich and there aren't that many people that get rich off survivor's benefits. There is also a chance that whoever has been telling you these things don't know what they are talking about.
SSI benefit is provided for children until they are 18 years, or until 19 years if they are still in high school. SSI then terminates all benefits as the child is expected to be able to work. SSI is not provided for any additional training and education, including college.
During the time you were in foster care, the foster parents are usually paid, partially or wholly, from the SSI benefit for caring for you. There are also other monetary resources they might have received for providing care for you until you reached the age of 18. The actual amount varies by state.
There is no "death benefit" due to you from SSI as this benefit was paid out to the people responsible for caring for you. You should certainly contact SSI about the questions you have to fully understand the SSI benefit.
Call the SS office and ask. You will need his SSN and yours. It could be that no one even filed for it. In that case, you would need a copy of your birth certificate that lists him as your father and of his death certificate.
First - no one knows how old you are right now or if you are "self supporting" so it just may be irrelevant as to who got "all that money".
Foster care funds are paid to whoever is responsible for taking care of you. These funds/payments to foster parents may come from several sources - the first being SS benefits.
If you are under the age of 18-19 then benefits may still be available if you are still in school (not college).
Pay a visit to your SS office and ask questions.
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