conditions for determining de- I

conditions for determining de- I pendency upon a working mother. Until now, for a child to be considered dependent upon h i s mother and therefore eligible for monthly payments when she died, retired, or became disabled, she needed to have worked under social security for at least 1 1/2 years out of the last three years, unless she was actually supporting the child.

The amendments eliminate this recent-work requirement. Beginning with checks in March 1968, benefits are payable to the child of a woman worker who has died, retired, or become entitled to social security disability benefits if she has accumulated enough social security credit to be “fully insured’*, whether or not those credits were for recent work under social securi ty.

Some widowers who were dependent on a wife at the time of the wife’s death and some husbands who were dependent on a wife at the time of her retirement or disability may now also get benefits under this provision. _ Another very important change in the law makes it possible for the disabled widow, or disabled divorced wife, of a worker to receive disability benefits beginning at age 50. This provision also applies to the disabled widower who was dependent upon his wife at the time of her death.

Under the old law a widow could not get social security benefits until she reached 60, unless she had In her care a child who was entitled to payments based on her husband’s earnings.

Now a widow whose husband has worked long enough under social security can be eligible for monthly benefits as early as age 50 if she is severely “disabled". A widow is considered “disabled" if she has a mental or physical impairment so severe that it keeps her from performing any gainful activity, and the condition has lasted (or is expected to last) 12 months or longer. Age, education, and work experience, which are considered in the case of the