Survivors

Social Security Honors and Supports Military Members

May 24, 2019 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: July 16, 2021

" "Every year, on Memorial Day, the nation honors service members who have given their lives for our freedom. Social Security acknowledges the sacrifice of our military’s service members, and we honor these heroes and their families who may need help through the benefits we provide.

Widows, widowers, and their dependent children may be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits. You can learn more about those benefits on our Survivors Benefits page.

It’s also important to recognize those service members who have been wounded. Social Security offers benefits to protect veterans when an injury prevents them from returning to active duty or performing other work.

Wounded military service members can also receive expedited processing of their Social Security disability claims. For example, Social Security will expedite disability claims filed by veterans who have a 100 percent Permanent & Total compensation rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Both the VA and Social Security have disability programs. You may find that you qualify for disability benefits through one program but not the other, or that you qualify for both. Depending on the situation, some family members of military personnel, including dependent children, and, in some cases, spouses, may be eligible to receive Social Security benefits. You can get answers to commonly asked questions and find useful information about the application process by visiting our Veterans page.

Service members can also receive Social Security in addition to military retirement benefits. The good news is that your military retirement benefit generally does not reduce your Social Security retirement benefit. Learn more about Social Security retirement benefits. You may also want to visit the Military Service page of our Retirement Planner.

Please share this information with a military family who may not know about these benefits. In acknowledgment of those heroes who died for our country, those who served, and those who serve today, we at Social Security honor and thank you.

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About the Author

Darlynda Bogle, Assistant Deputy Commissioner

Darlynda Bogle, Assistant Deputy Commissioner

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Comments

  1. Mary J.

    19 years 9 months of service and they said I’m missing 3 month, why can’t they credit me the 3 months?

  2. nope

    Thank you! instagram post viewer

  3. nope

    Thank you! instagram web viewer

  4. Theresa H.

    I think we should always remember our veterans not just on Memorial day. Be grateful to all veterans living or deceased for all they did and and are doing, Thank you!

  5. Jacquelyn J.

    I have some pictures of my dad during WWII you may want. One with him in a Zero he helped hide during Pearl Harbor attack after they talked young pilot into surrendering and another of him getting a Bronze Star. I had more but my brother lost them. They are declassified. They tell me his records are lost and I no longer have his service number or social security number or dates of service. Let me know if you want them. He lost his hearing during the war and the VA rebuilt them – forever thankful. I was 10 before he heard my voice. – “Jack” Jones’ kid until I die.

  6. JOSEPH Z.

    I MYSELF IS A COMBAT WOUNDED WORRIOR AND
    VETERAN I SERVED IN THE FIRST DESERT STORM
    WAR AND HONORABLE DISCHARGED WITH 22 YEARS OF HONORABLE SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY
    AND THE FLAG AND EVERYONE’S FREEDOM I AM
    GLAD THAT I SERVED IN THE MILITARY TOO

    THANK YOU
    JOSEPH Z ANDERS 3

    • Jacquelyn J.

      I worked for a government contractor during Desert Shield and Storm and prayed for all y’all every night. We ran out of money on contracts and I worked free OT until I became disabled. There were a LOT of guys in offices that did NOTHING. I gave all I could. Husband was paratrooper during VN -54 jumps, 2 concussions. He went to summer school to get out of HS early to sign up. Dad served in WWII. I don’t understand why our president and senate sit on bills that can help.

  7. John B.

    If SSA supports our Military then why don’t they do something to stop Military Retirees from losing a portion of their Social Security retirement check, because the also are drawing a Disability from the Veterans Administration?

  8. Kenneth M.

    That is not true in my case! my dad did his time in the grovment he has two retirements from it and I am 1 of 3 brothers brothers, & i have a sickness from time I was born. And a dependent. The department of navy put my sickness 100% percent disableded before the age of 21! I was never married and Im still sick with the same 3 sickness, bipolor , learning disability, and asthma! I I have tried to sign up many times, but I get made fun of by staff. I have a hearing on Sept. 24 over this, my dad his name is Mgysgt/ e9 retired. Mike f merritt E9 ret.ired In 1987 that was frist ret. And he worked in Washington DC and he retired 2 009 and now me and my dad are still going threw this and he turns 80 this yr! why can’t i get any help on it ? This is not fair! My dad just wants me to be ok, before he goes! Signed Kenneth Merritt Sr
    MERRITTK27@GMAIL.COM

  9. John W.

    I’ve been told you get 200 dollars a month for being a veteran. If so how can you check of your receiving it. I was told it’s not a automatic thing unless you ask

    • Vonda V.

      Hello John, thank you for reading our recent blog post. Since 1957, if you had military service earnings for active duty (including active duty for training), you paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. Since 1988, inactive duty service in the Armed Forces reserves (such as weekend drills) has also been covered by Social Security.

      Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for periods of active duty from 1957 through 2001 can also be credited to your Social Security earnings record for benefit purposes.
      •If you were in the active military service from 1957 through 1967, special extra earnings are added to your earnings record when you apply for Social Security benefits.
      •If your active duty was after 1967, the extra earnings are already on your record.

      There are no special extra earnings credits for military service after 2001.

      These special earnings credits are added to your earnings record automatically when you apply for Social Security benefits.

      Please read our publication: Military Service and Social Security for more information. Thanks!

      • Jackie

        It hurts me as a 57 year old DISABLED Single Mother, with oldest Son, a Calvary Scout Veteran with the United States Army and my youngest Son who is a DISABLED TEENAGER who has to use a electric wheelchair he was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and his brother was deployed to Baghdad in 2011 for our safety and Freedom. And as a Mother you can just imagine what I was going through with my two Brave Soldiers, not knowing the unknown of their lives.
        Until my world was shattered and disrupted and destroyed by a false report and accusations and allegations by my Mother which just turned 89 with Dementia and Parkinson’s disease and has a hard time remembering and regressing into a Child saying things because she enjoys talking nonsense so anyone would feel sorry for her, talks to the wrong person at a Rehabilitation Center because of her falling, and a case worker that thinks she is BEING MISTREATED, takes it upon herself to call Adult PROTECTIVE SERVICES and here this WOMAN comes to her home asking me all these crazy questions and lies when I asked her to leave because she had no idea what was happening she targeted my DISABLED child and THREATENED him with STATE CUSTODY. I wish I would have video tape her and my Son crying and pleading that she was wrong and getting him so distraught and a bundle of nerves I had to call my oldest Son home from work to calm us down. My son the Veteran told her that she had Some nerve coming here and asked where was everybody when my Mother was asking for assistance from these Departments and denied her benefits. They have still been harassing me and took my Son illegally without a signed Court Order from the Judge which is so Illegal and they stripped me of our Money to pay bills, took his SSDI check that’s drawn off of my 44 years of paying taxes and the Judge allows his Father to Surrender his Parental Rights which now he pays no child SUPPORT and does not have to furnish no more Medical Insurance to his DISABLED Son. That he was getting through the Sheriff’s Department. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture. Then I appealed the decision to Nashville and I won the appeal but the Court doesn’t care when Nashville says its Unconstitutional and Illegal. When they decided to keep my Child in the Hospital for 2 months for no reason at all. The Brothers planned on BEING together and my Veteran Son had his place remodeled with ramps and handicapped accessible to be discriminated against by CPS and didn’t accept for the Brothers to be together as Family and sent my Son off 3 hours away from his only known Family and furnished these strangers that I have never met since Oct a handicap Van but denied his Mother. Do you get the picture here. The STATE of Tennessee Takes my money that I EARNED makes me pay child SUPPORT out of my SSDI CHECK the STATE is not GIVING it to my Son but. Paying Strangers in there 20’s that have no clue about SMA, these kids are babies and give them my money so my Child loses his Van with a lift I. Was paying on, gets repossessed and Mother is now Homeless and these youngsters have my money and building an extravagant home over $300,000 I am a retired real estate appraiser and realtor and I am paying their mortgage and their utilities and so are other good parents out there. But yet the Judge doesn’t want to hear me or my CHILDREN, we can’t talk or defend ourselves. We are guilty People and we have to prove our INNOCENCE but not allowed to. And I am on my 3rd Attorney so far. Can anyone help me here or are the Americans Citizens going to allow this to continue in the United States. This can happen to your CHILDREN and your Grandchildren and we are stripped of our Rights stand our Constitution. Unless we rise up as a Nation and be the Voices of these CHILDREN that need us. And want to come home. But there not allowing them too. It makes me sick to think this is going on the CORRUPTION and living in an Communist country where we can’t do anything anymore we are not free. We are slaves to the GOVERNMENT. President TRUMP you are our man to Control this and the only President to stand up and be by our side. Hear our Cry Please

        • Marc

          And this unintelligible rant is relevant to this article HOW???

  10. Phil S.

    Remember that Memorial day was created to honor those killed by war, no matter what side they were on.

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