TOP

Social Security Special Benefits for Qualified WWII Veterans

Program Description

Special benefits can be paid to certain World War II veterans. These include veterans who served in the active U.S. military from September 16, 1940 through July 24, 1947. It also includes Filipino veterans who served in the organized military of the Philippines from July 26, 1941 through December 30, 1946 (while those forces were in the service of the U.S. Armed Forces).

The special veterans benefits are payable for months in which qualified veterans live outside the United States. If you qualify, you will receive benefits for each month in which you reside outside the United States on the first day of the month.

To qualify for this benefit, you must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Be age 65 or older as of December 14, 1999
  • Be a World War II veteran as described above
  • Be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as of December 1999
  • Be eligible for SSI for the month you apply for special veterans benefits
  • Have other benefit income that is less than 75 percent of the current SSI federal benefit rate.

This benefit cannot be paid to the veteran’s dependents or survivors.

Your Next Steps

The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.

Application Process

If you would like to find out if you may be eligible for any of the benefits SSA administers, visit http://best.ssa.gov.Once you have completed the eligibility screening questionnaire, you will be provided with a list of benefits for which you may be eligible. Print this page for your records before going to the application site.

Once you know which benefits you can apply for, go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline/ to apply online.

You can also call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778) for additional information about SSA benefits and for application information.

Program Contact Information
For information about Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, visit:http://www.va.gov
For more information on this and any SSA benefit, call:
1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778)
Visit our Publications page for detailed information about SSA programs and policies:
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/