Social Security

[Unregistered]

Hi. im a 16 year old girl in Pennsylvania and since birth ive been receiving death benifits for my father who died before i was born, however since i am a minor, they come in my moms name and shes the one who handles where the money goes. Over the past 16 years i haven't received any portion of the money for school, healthcare, or for personal spending. Fyi, the check is now $503 exactly. ive read up on social security and it says that i will receive the check until i finish school next year, june 2016. im wondering that if i get emancipated now, at 16 (almost 17, July 1st) will i still recieve the check? it's important to me to save for college and i am planning to put at least $400 every month in savings, thanks for your help

[ccsmod15]

Re: Social Security

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you have some great goals—including going to college and taking care of your health—but you’re feeling frustrated that you haven’t had control over how the checks are being used.

We are not legal experts at NRS, so we can’t give you a definite answer on what would happen to the death benefit checks if you were to become emancipated. However, it seems possible that the checks would go directly to you. If you’re able to do so, speaking to an attorney who is familiar with the details of your situation might be a good way to better answer your questions.

It is important to know that the emancipation process can take a very long time: usually several months to more than a year. It’s possible that by the time you are emancipated, you will be ready to attend college. It can also be very expensive in some cases. Since you’re concerned about saving enough money by the time you go to college, it may be helpful to consider other options. If you haven’t already and you’re able to do so, perhaps you can consider taking on a part-time job or speaking to your mother about wanting to save money for college. There may be other ways to finance your education as well, including government or private loans. A teacher, college financial aid advisor, or bank employee could be able to provide useful information.

Paying for college is often difficult, especially when there are difficult legal questions to answer. Emancipation may help, but it may not be the best solution in this case. If you want information about legal resources in your area, you can call one of our live liners at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) who should be able to help out. Good luck!

Best,
NRS