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mzach61 Asked July 2016

Can a caregiver who is the son of his elderly mother receive any type of death benefit if the parent dies?

I am the son and caregiver for my 87 yr old mother who was disabled, bedridden and suffered from dementia and alzheimers. Her income level was well below the poverty level and I had to quit my career to care for her. I was a paid careworker from PCA for about 9 months, but my mother had unfortunately passed away. My income stops at this point and now I am left with all of the responsibilities rent,bills etc. Is there a death benefit from the state that I can receive to help pay these bills?

JessieBelle Jul 2016
The death benefit is paid to the spouse or the child if the spouse is not alive. It is so small, though, that I don't really consider it a huge consideration. You would be able to pay maybe a couple of utility bills or buy a half month of groceries. Really, I don't know why they bother with $255. I wouldn't have minded if they had just kept it.

geewiz Jul 2016
The Social security death benefit of $255 is only paid to a surviving spouse, so poster 'need not apply'.

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pamstegma Jul 2016
The only death benefit would be from her life insurance if she had a policy of some kind. Social security pays $250 death benefit, but you must apply for it.

JessieBelle Jul 2016
I'm sorry, but no. It is a sad but too common ending to a family caregiving job. Do you have any prospects for a job? It is the only thing that I can think of right away. If you were on contract as an employee, chances are you may qualify for unemployment. You can check with your county's labor department to see if you qualify. They may also be able to help you find a job quickly. Good luck! Please let us know what happens.

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