If an orphan child is adopted do they continue to get Social Security Survivor benefits?

Really -- the best answer is at the social security office. Best to go to an office, take a number: and speak to a worker. They are helpful. Possibly legal gaurdianship would be a better route.

I just went to the social security office. The people were friendly and very helpful. Calling is a joke. Go in person, take a number.

Mom should really go to social security and determine if her kids are eligible for benefits and how much. Any benefit would be based on her earnings credits. I don't want to say "yes, benefits continue" because that check might be $50 or $500. The office can tell her how much that check would be every month .

She can also find out if benefits can continue if the kids are adopted. I am pretty sure kids get benefits if they have a guardian caring for them. Not sure about adoption.

In sorry this is going on, and everyone is stressed. That "best answer" will be found at social security. Another idea - inquire if child services would offer a stipend if the kids were adopted.

Not necessarily, no. When a child is adopted, they become a legal stranger to their biological parents.

If your friend cannot afford to adopt without benefits, she probably will not be able to adopt at all as legal costs pertaining to the adoption are not free. The father of the child would also have to be notified, as well as all relatives, IF she were to become available for a placement, to see if she could be safely and securely placed with a family member.

You are looking at the situation very simplistically. In reality, an adoption is a very complex process and the state will act in her best interest if the mother did not leave a will or appoint a guardian herself.

You could try asking social security

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OK, I carefully looked for you on the SSA site, and it doesn't say anything. But you can email them. Here's the form on their site: https://faq.ssa.gov/ics/support/ticketnewwizard.as...

Personally, you can get two opinions here, that you can get the benefits and that you can't. I wouldn't take the opinions of people on Yahoo. Only an answer from SSA would be correct. The people on here are just giving you their best guess, but they can't really know.

You should also contact Legal Aid Society where you live, so you can get a lawyer to advise you. If there's isn't such a group near you, call United Way and ask how to get help. It's usually free or inexpensive. They can also answer what the costs would be for adoption versus guardianship.

How is an orphan getting benefits if they are a ward of the state. Aoption is NOT free in the first place. Is this child even available for adoption? lawyer would be a nice touch here

It sounds like the mother is not dead yet and the "friend" is waiting for this event to get the cash. How nice!

Has the child, who is not yet a full orphan, got a father? Or is the father also dead ? Or is the father just not present?

How about hoping the mother will survive?

Wow, Zinnia. You're really a *****. You've gotten some good, solid answers here and you blast every one of them. Why don't you lighten up on these strangers YOU asked for help and contact an attorney? If you don't like what you're reading here, go elsewhere. You're the one who asked for help, remember?

I adopted a sibling set after fostering them for over a year. We do still get a monthly check, but it was because they were a sibling set and not a single.

Adoption severs forever the legal ties between parent and child, so no, the death benefit will not continue to be paid to a child who has become a legal stranger to his or her deceased parent.

Your friend could offer to be the child's guardian, minus adoption. That's a kinder thing to do anyway in the circumstance of a death. The child may not want his legal tie to his parents severed forever.

Edited to add: looking at the other information you provided, being their legal guardian is the way to go. The dying friend needs to specify her as guardian. Assuming there is no father to contest it, a judge should be willing to appoint her as guardian after the mothers death.

No. Don't adopt kids for financial benefits.