<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Joan, if the father's name is on the children's birth certificates, no further proof would be required, married or not to the mother.  When there are minor children with no parent, a representative payee is appointed to receive benefits until they are 18.  I can't remember the year the law changed, but at one time children could receive benefits up to the age of 22 if in full time attendance in college.  The law was later changed to graduation from high school - age 19 at the latest.<div><br></div><div>As to who is appointed as rep payee as we called it - it depends on with whom the children are living.  If with a relative, that person would probably be the payee.  And yes they have to account to SSA as to how they spent the money.  If the children, for some reason, were in an institution, then the institution could receive the benefits.  </div><div><br></div><div>All Sheri was saying is that the rep payee need not be a relative.<br><div><br></div><div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Geneva; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Geneva; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Geneva; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Geneva; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Jacqueline Wilson</div><div>Evanston, IL</div><div><br></div><div>"Wilssearch Editorial & Research Services - your service of choice for the indexing challenged genealogist."<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Sheriff for Publications of the Chicago Corral of the Westerners</div><div><br></div><div>Masters of Military History student at AMU</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div> <br><div><div>On Jan 9, 2011, at 7:06 PM, <a href="mailto:JYoung6180@aol.com">JYoung6180@aol.com</a> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> <div id="role_body" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottommargin="7" leftmargin="7" topmargin="7" rightmargin="7"><font id="role_document" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"> <div>Sheri-</div> <div> </div> <div>Now you are confusing me...are you saying that the deceased wife and her husband (the now-deceased wage earner) are NOT the parents of the children? If they are, then children born of their marriage would be assumed to have been legal children of the wage earner and the marriage records should have been on file for the claim to have been approved. Supporting birth records for the children would also have been on file. </div> <div> </div> <div>Minor children who are beneficiaries would have had a representative payee who would have been required to report that benefits were used for the children. </div> <div> </div> <div>Joan</div> <div> </div> <div> <div>In a message dated 1/9/2011 5:02:41 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, <a href="mailto:sherifenley@gmail.com">sherifenley@gmail.com</a> writes:</div> <blockquote style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2">That may be true, but the benefits paid to the children would be sent to a benefit administrator who doesn't have to be the children's mother or even the next of kin.  Proof of the relationship of the children to the deceased wage earner is what is required not the marriage of the deceased wage earner in order for the children to receive their benefits. <div><br></div> <div>On the other hand, what the heck - order the record and see what they have on file,  LOL</div> <div><br></div> <div>Sheri Fenley</div> <div>Stockton, California<br><br></div></font></blockquote></div></font></div> </div><br></div></div></body></html>