A husband and wife with 2 small children were recently divorced. The mother was awarded full custody of the children with child support. The father owed ~$5K in back child support at time of the divorce, and is not currently working. The mother just learned that he is being incarcerated in a few weeks for a 10-year prison sentence. Since he will not be able to provide child support over the course of his incarceration (and most likely thereafter), can she draw any of his social security benefits now for assistance? He is not currently eligible for ss benefits, nor will be eligible during his 10-year sentence.
