#FamilyIssue #BereavementMoney #AbsentFather #LegalAdviceNeeded
Hey everyone! 👋 Have you ever dealt with a situation where a family member is trying to manipulate the system for financial gain? I need some advice on what to do when my brother’s father is threatening to make him live with him just to get access to the bereavement money from our mother’s passing. Here’s a little backstory:
– Our family has always been me, my grandma, mom, and my brother.
– Mom’s passing left us in a financial struggle, with only my income, grandma’s SSI, and bereavement money.
– Brother’s father is consistently late or doesn’t pay the money designated for us.
– Now he’s threatening to take my brother away from his home, friends, and school just for financial gain.
Do you have any suggestions on what legal steps I can take to ensure that the bereavement money goes to us, who are actually caring for my brother? It’s a tough situation, and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 🙏
Possible Solution:
– Seek legal counsel to explore options for guardianship or court intervention to protect your brother’s best interests.
– Keep detailed records of all interactions and financial transactions with the father.
– Consider reaching out to social services or a family law attorney for guidance and support.
This is a multilayered problem that cannot be easily answered without additional clarification.
**Regarding the Bereavement Policy**
1. Who is paying the bereavement money? Was it a pension through a company, a government funded program, or an insurance policy?
* If this money is government funded who is it actually supposed to support? The surviving spouse, surviving children, etc.?
* Do you have access to the original policy/document/contract that discloses the beneficiaries and terms of how this money is to be paid out?
* Do you have the name of the agency who oversees this policy?
* Can you request a copy of it?
2. Who is the ***legal*** beneficiary of this money?
3. Were your mother and this man married? Were they ever legally divorced?
**Regarding Custody/Guardianship of your Brother**
1. Again, were your mother and this man ever legally married and/or divorced? Do you have access to these records or any resulting custody and child support agreements?
2. Did this man ever legally establish paternity over your brother?
3. Do you live in the same country/separate countries/different states from this man?
4. Do you have any information corroborating his failure to pay child support if it was ever mandated?
5. Do you have evidence of prior abuse suffered from this man?
Dad is committing fraud. Have bro talk to a social worker at school to establish custody and report dad to social security.
Who has legal custody of your brother? If you do not I would start by petitioning the court to be named his guardian.
So are we talking about social security survivors benefits?