[Ngtflyr]

Unfortunately I started receiving SS survivor benefits at 13 when my dad passed away. I continued receiving it until I was 23 and it was a major factor in being able to go to college and get a degree. It was incentive to get school done because I knew I was on the clock. Almost simultaneously, I finished school, turned 23 and President Reagan killed the program. You would no longer receive survivor SS benefits after 18. I was lucky in the sense that as a poor kid I wouldn't have been able to afford college. College for me was a combination of SS benefits, VA benefits, scholarships and grants as well as what I made during the summer and spring breaks. I took full advantage of the program, got my degree and the USAF offered me a pilot slot when I finished. I've paid in a lot to the program in the meantime but not complaining.