Ugh! My Ex passed away Dec 2009 & I had to fight for a little over half of his Soc Sec because he had a 2nd wife. Every wife or husband who the person was married to over 10 yrs is entitled to a portion. I'm a little older than her & she doesn't know it, but that gave me 4% more than she got. I didn't get any of his Military Retirement because of a nasty divorce & his lawyers/judge in this State cotton to the husband. I'm on Soc Sec Disability & when I have to file taxes for 2010, I'm getting help with filing taxes. I've done my taxes every year before now & gotten some back for last couple of years because of my Small Home Based Sewing Bus. Well, my Viking is in at the dealer for cleaning up & I have Home Health Care Nurse & Aides since after my Bilateral Total Knee Replacements/Back problems cropped up again plus other problems, so as long as I don't make over $400 I don't have to report it. I'm under that have to pay back $1 for ev $2 I make, so what's a Lady to do. I have 3 Quilts for Kids I'm working on, plus a quilt for a friend who went thru Hell last year (her house blew up from gas leak/she was in Burn Unit/now lives with her dau & her family), so that will be considered a Charity Quilt. There are a lot of charities I can make items for and stay busy.
God is in control, so he knows why we go through all these challenges. Yes, get a lawyer. They can go to court w/you if Soc Sec tries that. They can help you figure things out & get you on track.