Life Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
Under Social Security, the period during which a surviving spouse's survivor benefits stop because there is no longer a dependent child in care, and resume only when the spouse reaches retirement age, is known as the:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
The blackout period is the gap in Social Security survivor benefits for a surviving spouse. Benefits are payable while a child of the deceased worker is in care, but stop when that child is no longer in care and do not resume until the surviving spouse reaches retirement age. Advisors must account for this gap when planning survivor income, which is why life insurance is often recommended to fill it.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) An elimination period is a waiting period before disability benefits begin under a disability policy; a different context.
- C) A probationary period is a fixed waiting period in some health or disability policies before coverage of a condition begins.
- D) A grace period is the time after a missed premium payment during which a policy stays in force.
Memory hook
Blackout period = the Social Security benefit gap a widow faces until retirement age; life insurance fills the darkness.