Try and do some research to find a lawyer who works on family probate issues. See if she can talk to a couple as many give an initial visit at no charge to help her settle things and develop a plan for the wise use of any inheritance from her Mom. Also get the advice on completing the FAFSA, but it would seem if the parent she had as financial support is deceased she should be viewed as an independent adult.

But a lawyer would also know if a good faith effort to track the Dad as by his Social Security Number should also be made. Sounds like you are good family friend or relative to try to help this young woman sort things out.

Anonymous wrote:How can an adult get orphan benefits?

College financial aid takes into account your parents' income until you are 25 or so.

Contact FAFSA regarding a missing parent and how to full out the forms.

Other than that she can choose what she tells people.

How can an adult get orphan benefits?

Anonymous wrote:I believe if children are abandoned they legally qualify as orphans. So for example if both paretns are living and choose not to participate, a child becomes an orphan, goes into the system and gets all the benefits. But yes a lawyer would know better.

Yes, I may need to help her find a lawyer. It is more a question for all the financial aid forms (for college) and various banking forms. She is trying to sort out all the legal/financial pieces that come with her mother's death and there are so many. Seeing as she is the one managing the estate and everything to do with it and filling all the paperwork out, there are frequent explanations that need to be given. Also many of the forms do not have an option for one parent deceased, one parent uninvolved - there was a box for parents deceased, or one for single parent.

Not an issue for her friends or random people. Her father is on her birth certificate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pp's are not seeing the "Mother passed away" sentence. What sort of "orphan benefits" is the child pursuing? Were the parents married? What sort of legal/financial issues are there?

In casual conversation, child can say "mom passed away, Dad's not around". No deep explanation needed. Sadly, it's a common enough situation.

You can get one form of social security (SSI I think?) until you're 21 if one of your parents passes away.

I was thinking college financial aid.

OP, is dad on the birth certificate?

Anonymous wrote:If the 18 yr old is just talking to new friends who say "hey where do your parents live?" it's okay to just say "My mom lives in PA; I don't have a father."

Because what this 18 yr old has is a sperm donor. An orphan is somebody with NO parents, so unless their mother is dead, they're not an orphan.

If we're talking about legally, s/he would need to consult with a family law attorney to get legal advice.

But the mother in this story is dead.

I would consider this child to have had one parent, and that once that one parent died, I'd consider him an orphan.

I believe if children are abandoned they legally qualify as orphans. So for example if both paretns are living and choose not to participate, a child becomes an orphan, goes into the system and gets all the benefits. But yes a lawyer would know better.

Don't lie. Don't teach the child to lie. All PPs are right: Just say "My Mom died, I don't know where my Dad it." or whatever else along those lines that explains the truth in one simple sentence.

Anonymous wrote:Pp's are not seeing the "Mother passed away" sentence. What sort of "orphan benefits" is the child pursuing? Were the parents married? What sort of legal/financial issues are there?

In casual conversation, child can say "mom passed away, Dad's not around". No deep explanation needed. Sadly, it's a common enough situation.

You can get one form of social security (SSI I think?) until you're 21 if one of your parents passes away.

Pp's are not seeing the "Mother passed away" sentence. What sort of "orphan benefits" is the child pursuing? Were the parents married? What sort of legal/financial issues are there?

In casual conversation, child can say "mom passed away, Dad's not around". No deep explanation needed. Sadly, it's a common enough situation.

In my family, we say: "She lives with her mom, the dad is not around." Period. Leave it at that. It's an old story and people usually get it.

My parents were divorced. I have been estranged from one parent for 25 years and the other parent is dead. I just tell people my parents are dead, since my living parent is "dead to me." I agree with PP about consulting an attorney regarding legal orphanhood.

If the 18 yr old is just talking to new friends who say "hey where do your parents live?" it's okay to just say "My mom lives in PA; I don't have a father."

Because what this 18 yr old has is a sperm donor. An orphan is somebody with NO parents, so unless their mother is dead, they're not an orphan.

If we're talking about legally, s/he would need to consult with a family law attorney to get legal advice.

Father leaves family and country when child is 2 months old and disappears after making it very clear he wants no further contact of any kind. Leaves behind a lump sum of cash rather than having to stay engaged through child support. Mother tries to find him a few times over the years for various reasons with no luck. No custody is every done officially and parental rights are not officially terminated. Neither mother or child have heard from him since he left. Mother did contact a family member of fathers a few years ago and was told no one in the family wanted contact, and refused to give mother any contact information. Mother has passed away. Child is 18 and trying to figure out all kinds of legal and financial issues. Some benefits are orphan benefits (child feels like an orphan, but technically isn't). No way to account for father's income or any information on father at all. Not even 100% sure of name due to some fraud issues and aliases that came to light after father left. Anyone know how to deal with this situation or what it is called. Child hates having to try and explain the whole story every time they are asked about parents - would be much easier to say they are an orphan.