In 1954, when my parents were just toddlers, a law was passed that capped the Lump Sum Death Benefit (LSDB) at $255. This amount, even in 1954, was insufficient to cover funeral expenses. Today, it is an insultingly small sum that doesn't come close to covering the costs associated with burying a loved one. The government's response to Covid-19 has resulted in many deaths and left countless families struggling financially and emotionally.

The cap on LSDB hasn't changed since its introduction despite significant increases in cost of living over time. This is particularly hard for widows who have lost their partners - often the main breadwinners of their households - and are now facing financial hardship on top of their grief.

In Canada, survivors receive £2500 per month while we barely get $300 for survival benefits here. Try burying a loved one on $255 ain’t happening . It's not just about money; it's about dignity and respect for those who have lost loved ones.

We need our government to recognize this disparity and take action by increasing the cap on LSDB to reflect current economic realities. We cannot grieve properly when we're worried about bills, food security or losing our homes.
Among where does the money go if your love one passes I mean husbands and wives work for what reason not to live or enjoy the golden years of life . In my mind once you take your first breath out the womb of your mother and you take your first step parents just tell the child to get a job cause no way your going to survive in USA . �� 

Then you have congressman president senators governors making 6 digits try living on $1373 a month and food stamps in Nc I get $50 and still have mortgage electricity which is Roanoke electricity which they charge a fee to get power from dominion so I don’t run heat in the winter nor ac in the summer . Plus you have water and insurance etc . Plus medicine � so what do I have left you give a cost of living increase but heck Medicare raises their prices so we really get nothing . I like to see one in office live on what we get . We aren’t enjoying are years no fast food no friends to hang with stuck at home . Losing my husband which tomorrow will be three years 2/2/21 and there was no time to grieve or moron cause your worried about bills . 
Imagine your child lost their husband at a young age what they would get nothing but a slap in the face from the government. 
Where is all the money our WE are husbands paid in to taxes Medicare etc ? Is it going to the politicians checks ? Why do we have to pay Medicare it’s taking out our checks each week no weekly monthly it’s what I’m calling double dipping it’s already paid for . And yet here we are at golden ages and we gotta pay more in co pays and the monthly payments of Medicare . 
I am speaking on millions of widows that need a change we will never see the day of our full retirement or our decreased husband’s retirement. Question is Why ? It’s ours not the government stop spending our money stop spending it on overseas . If we go to war no one is going to save us so why save them . 
no offense but it’s truth . 
I have about 2.4 million widows who want answers  and social security is a JOKE when you ask questions to them it’s like being on a merry go round and your head spins off . 
Try losing your spouse and your in a widow / widower fog and try to get answers it’s a wild ride or a wild duck chase . 

The Cap of $255 has been in effect since my mother was 3 years old she is 73 years old now and is still working a full time job . She has said she can’t afford to retire cause of the cost of living my mom in 2018 had three strokes and a seizure what’s this telling you . You are all enjoying golf and lobster � and steak � and drinking $600 bottles of wine while we as humans are living on ramen and drinking tap water which is nasty especially in rural areas.  I lost my husband cause everything shut down in 2020 from covid which if yall would have shut down airports etc we wouldn’t have lost millions of people in USA . Couldn’t get my husband to see doctors. On feb 3 2020 is when they knew his cancer came back do you realize we didn’t find out until Jan 15 2021 and he passed away on 2/2/21 . Where’s our $8000.00 that the ones who supposedly past from covid got . Or how about a letter to everyone who lost a spouse a letter so we can at least read it use it to use to start a fire to stay warm . Cause right now most of us living on spousal benefits / widow benefits can’t afford heat while yall all nice and warm and cozy and we freezing to death. No joke we can’t afford food due to the high cost and rural areas you gotta have gas to get to store.   But it’s like we are left out in the cold no one cares. I CARE I’m fighting till my last breath in me to get this changed …  we deserve to be treated just as you do the refugees you bring over from other countries. 

The USA funds overseas illegal immigants brings over refugees and gives them more help then the give the ones born on USA soil . 
you give refugees free housing free food free healthcare free electricity etc  and the ones that serve and protected you and your family to be seating in those seats get nothing as in . Military housing ain’t free but your government mansion is you pay nothing to live there and the president lives in White House pays no bills throws parties on tax payers money . And we have governor Cooper who goes to Unc games on tax payers money and widows are starving struggling to keep themselves alive. While you are enjoying  life . 
a widow lost her husband to a war that we had no business being in . And $255 for what a pity check  . I hope one day one of your sons daughters has to go through a nightmare of living OUR world the real world. 

Social security says you have to work 40 credits . Well our husbands did and yet when they passed they couldn’t collect any longer . Why is it taken from the Widowers are bills haven’t changed only are lives especially if you were a caregiver for your spouse . Trying doing that for months years not easy . 
Where does his money go after he passes away ? 
Cap his social security to US meaning why can’t We get a portion of us Social security to get back on our Feet � . Lose your spouse and see what kind of shape you be in your a wreck to put it mildly it’s called widow / widower fog . And if someone came up to you during this time and says sign this not thinking you properly would cause you mind is not here your body is . 
what happens to His / Her money � ? 
why are we penalized ? Why is it taken completely away and then you’re in debt . Losing the home you and your spouse built .  WHERE DOES thee MONEY go ??? Not in our pockets most of us gotta wait till 60 years of age or 65 years of age . 

Think back to pandemic Covid having to stay in our homes well that’s depressing as well . Think of these kids who had to do home school millions of them are having issues as in depression anxiety among other stuff . 
YOU killed off millions I mean Billions of people in USA �� for what to save money . So you don’t have to pay out their retirement social security. 
Well I can speak for my self on this you killed my husband by this everything was shut down and he couldn’t get in to appts how about this feb 3 2020 is when they found out his cancer was back and we didn’t find out till January 15 2021 he passed away February 2 2021 almost a whole year went by before knowing . Sad but this is my story my reality . He was killed cause of Y’all . And a lot of US lost loved ones not from Covid but other issues cancer heart disease etc but we got nothing to help US Out . 
I have emailed governor Cooper 141 times with no response back what a great job he is doing all I see is him going to games or Christening a new ground for them to build something else he stays up in the Charlotte area. I’ve never seen him come down to our area let’s say Williamston county Ahoskie, Edenton Perquimans county, the Outer Banks he stays up there in the city life.  I had ONE senator who fought for me one ☝️ and he is no longer a senator for NC .  Our lives do matter in each and every aspect of OUR country. We all up here are USA citizens we all lost our spouses some lost more then one but your sitting on a history You want the votes to sit in that seat next election bring back morals and Intelligence and honesty and you will get MANY votes �️ . 
It’s sad that people at McDonald’s make more than we do to live off of and at one time used to be 30 credits and now it’s 40 credits. Should they say they can’t make a change but they’ve already made a change just think the people that cannot work as me Aren’t supposed to be living the ones that are literally disabled we’re not supposed to live. So I guess it really is sad that there’s so many people living on the streets living under Bridges. The vets are living on Park benches outside the White House because they can’t afford living in a house because houses or apartments  Are too high. The cost-of-living is gone up. These people that own houses are charging the arm, a leg, five fingers and two toes to live in their houses to rent a house. There’s probably not even up to a code to live in. So I guess that independency that you thought you were going to have in life  Until your golden years your golden days. Are not gonna happen because you’re not gonna be able to survive off what you get for Ssi Widow Benefits do you realize that spouse Benefits you know when you divorce your husband is based on their income and a judge gives them more  But we were with our husbands for years and we get nothing 

I have many more states to threw also email social security a few times let’s say I am flooding with questions and Nobody can answer them they are stunned that I have all this information and I’m asking away . 
yes full of knowledge and information but when I ask it’s like they palse and it’s like HOLD ON . 
Even ones who have worked for social security for 32years this is the oldest one I have talked to @ Social Security office worked 32 years and couldn’t answer questions . Now that’s a puzzle I am guessing no one has challenged them on things , well I have and yet I get I will call you back that was days ago . 
This puzzle is missing a lot of pieces I must say and most I have talked to say yes a change does Need to be made but WE can’t do anything cause funds are running out well here’s my answer , if those congress men and women take a pay cut in which they have made this world unlivable and let ME run it seriously I said this cleaning up the trash as in stop giving OUR money to immigrants and giving them free healthcare food electricity water a place to live and ship them back to where ever it would help .  Freedom isn’t Free it’s costing US billions of dollars to support . Take a family and tell me how much it cost to support them yearly and times that by a billion and there’s your answer . The lady her answer was right on point Yes we aren’t taking care of our own families. Liked her already . As one said Bring back America . I also told her could you live knowing that millions of Americans are starving can’t afford medicine living on the streets. You have men and woman who protect US and they get pity checks come home from war to nothing 

how about the widows and widowers who had two incomes and lost a spouse and have to live off bare minimum on what yall give into  it’s not a giving it’s owed to US . It’s not yalls to keep are spouses worked 40 credits and so did I and we should have both we paid into both so you only pay the bigger well here’s my answer . Why work if your only gonna get one check why both spouses working 40 credits a piece total 80 and we aren’t gonna see that retirement benefits.  She stopped me and said YOUR Right   Your only option is to get a petition going and you have to have enough signatures where you will be heard NO one is going to listen to one person you have to have what we call a army behind you , I stopped her right there in her sentence I said please listen to what I am saying and carefully I have had 55 surgeries in my life I’m not a person that gives up never as my squirrel use to say KEEP FIGHTING and I am . 
The day I face them I will have my game face on and ready to speak loud enough for the world to hear me cause this day in time I know what is going on . We are owed that money and if I gotta say go print more money in which y’all do every year why not just print more heck you need ink or the paper I think we can get that for them cause we can’t pay for things with paper and ink we need those Benjamin Franklin and all to pay our bills.   I mean that’s the the thing they say we in debt with China heck print the money and send it and leave them alone . Heck they are the ones that killed billions of innocent lives with Covid but to me I think it was on the books cause the world was over population and killing innocent people saves money but see all those that past never got to see their retirement money so where did that money go ? 
her answer love this 

GOOD QUESTION  her only answer ! 

okay all this is a small update on what is going 

we still need signatures post away and start emailing your representatives in your states 

and if you do can you please shoot me a email 

dirteeduckeeee@gmail.com 

love yall Susan /Duckeee 

my faith is strong 

im gonna keep fighting 

losing my patience is not a option

 
Susan Owen Brooks
 
  
 
 

 
 

Please sign this petition if you believe that bereaved families deserve better from our government during such difficult times.