When Social Security was first established in 1935, many wives did not work outside the home. Because they were dependent on their husband's income it made perfect sense that their Social Security benefits were determined by their husband's Social Security income.

Back then, when they reached retirement age, most women received a Social Security check equal to half the amount their husband was receiving. If he passed away before her, she could then receive a Social Security check equal to the amount her husband had been receiving (100% of "his" Social Security).

If you have ever heard an older woman saying "I get my husband's Social Security," this is what she is talking about.

Today most couples in the U.S. are both working, and with a few exceptions both are paying into the Social Security system. When it comes time to retire, a woman's own Social Security record is often large enough that she is better off receiving benefits on her own account, rather than half of her husband's.

Social Security should award whichever of the two amounts is greater.

If for some reason a husband's work record is lower than his wife's, he can also retire on "her" record if that will provide more income.

When one of a couple dies, if the survivor had been receiving the smaller retirement income, Social Security will adjust the survivor's income to a maximum of 100% of the deceased spouse's retirement income.

This should all happen automatically. Of course, no system is perfect, and Social Security is staffed by humans. If you have questions about how Social Security survivor benefits have been calculated, a Social Security representative can be reached at (800) 772-1213.

Unless you have been designated Representative Payee, you will not be able to call Social Security someone else's behalf. Unless that person is with you at the telephone to give the Social Security representative permission to speak with you, the representative is not allowed to give you any information. Once the beneficiary has given permission, the Social Security representative will answer any questions you may have about the account.

Social Security does not recognize Powers of Attorney. If your older person is unable to answer coherently and is not able to manage his or her own funds, you may want to become Representative Payee so that you can deal directly with both Social Security and Medicare whenever you need to.