📢 Important Information for Surviving Spouses of U.S. Veterans

📢 Important Information for Surviving Spouses of U.S. Veterans

Did you know that the Social Security Administration (SSA) Program Operations Manual (POMS) contains a provision that could be very important for surviving spouses living outside the United States?

According to SSA POMS RS 02610.025 — 5-Year U.S. Residency Requirement for Alien Dependents/Survivors Outside the U.S., Section B, the 5-year U.S. residency requirement does not apply to:

"Dependents/survivors who are entitled based on the record of a deceased number holder (NH) who died while on active U.S. military service or who died as a result of a service-connected disease or injury."

Simply put, if the deceased number holder (NH) was an active-duty member or veteran of the U.S. military, and the death occurred during military service or resulted from a service-connected disease or injury, the surviving spouse may qualify for this exception to the general 5-year U.S. residency requirement.

💡 Why does this matter?

For a surviving spouse who meets all other conditions, this may mean they do not have to satisfy the requirement of living in the U.S. for five years in order to receive benefits while living abroad.

For example, a surviving spouse who becomes eligible for survivor benefits at age 60 might be able to continue living in the Philippines and receive those Social Security survivor benefits, provided they meet all other Social Security eligibility requirements.

⚠️ Important: This does not mean that every surviving spouse of every veteran is automatically eligible for Social Security survivor benefits. Surviving spouses must still meet all applicable Social Security eligibility requirements. The key point here is the exception to the 5-year U.S. residency requirement for cases involving military service or service-connected deaths.

📌 Provision to look up:

SSA POMS RS 02610.025 — Section B: Beneficiaries Not Subject to the 5-Year Residency Requirement

This is an actual SSA POMS provision, not an opinion or an internet interpretation.

Please read the POMS, and if you are a surviving spouse of a veteran who died in connection with military service, ask the SSA to specifically review RS 02610.025, Section B, when you apply.

🇺🇸🇵🇭 This provision may be especially important for surviving spouses who plan to continue living in the Philippines rather than moving to the United States.