My father passed away Nov. 1, 2014. His SS benefits were automatically deposited into his account on Nov. 3. That money was for the month of Oct. so since he didn't pass in Oct that $ is rightfully due to him. I filled out a form online to have the money removed from his account. It was my understanding that SS would take the money back and then cut me a check. Well, they had no problem taking the $ out (which was about 3 months later) but never sent me the money. It is now almost 8 months after his passing and all the local SS office could tell me is that they dont know whats taking so long and maybe I should call my Congressman.....really? This is frustrating.
If you are not a signer on a deceased person's account, the only way to access money there is setting up an estate account and going through the required probate period for the money. Creditors have first claim to the estate and beneficiaries receive what is left over after probate. Not even a spouse can access money of a deceased person without going through the required steps if her name was not on the account.