<prompt> Human: My husband died last week and kept me in the dark for 35 years of marriage. I am ashamed to admit I was naive all these years and now my biggest nightmare is coming true. As I open his mail, much of which he had forwarded to a nearby POBOX, it seems he left only debts and not much in his bank accounts. I have signed up for an estate account to get access to whatever he may have left in the bank but he had many debts on credit cards and other personal expenses of which only he got benefit from. Also unknown to me, he will not be getting his severance money because we were supposed to be out of our company owned home a month before he died and we past that deadline. Now the company that fired him said because he overextended they are not required to give me his severance pay. So my questions are.1. Is their any way besides for filing bankruptcy to get out of all the secretive debts that he amassed?2. Any way to get the severance? My husband did fall and break his hip when we were moving so they gave him an oral extension, but then he unexpectedly died in surgery. Does that oral agreement count for us still being in the house? or does it not matter anyway because it was my husbands severance money and they no longer legally owe it after his death?3. Again, my husband was very unorganized and secretive and left no papers of if he did he has them hidden. I believe their may have been a small life insurance policy in the amount of 75,000. If I locate it, is it better to take it all in one lump sum?Thanks for all in advance and pardon my naivete. Edit: I am in NY State. I am 69 years old.  <response>: SSA Employee here.Please contact your local field office google is your friend and make an appointment with a Claims Representative.Bring in your spouses death certificate and they will go over all the options available to you. If you were receiving 500 a month and your spouse 1000, your own amount should increase to 1000. You will no longer get your own 500 as it is a lower amount. There is also a 255 death benefit that is payable. Youll need to fill out forms and have copies of the death certificate.Sorry for your loss. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. 