Can my wife collect my Social Security if I pass on.

I am trying to sort out our pensions, when to collect etc. I am a US Citizen living in Canada with my Canadian wife. I wrote to Social Security and asked if she could collect in the event I pass away, since she is residing in Canada, non USA citizen. They told me NO, because she was not a resident and had no SSN. I was sure I had read online somewhere where a widow was able to do this. I find this hard to believe and was wondering if there are any Canadian widows/ers out there collecting on their deceased spouses Social Security payments - and residing in Canada? Thank you for any feedback.

-- Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:44 pm --

Found my answer in "Social Security Benefits for Noncitizens: Current Policy & Legislation" and it stated that

Table 3. Exceptions to the Additional Residency Requirement
for Alien Dependents/Survivors Outside the United States
An alien dependent/survivor living outside the United States is not subject to the five-year U.S.
residency requirement if one of the following exceptions is met:
the individual was eligible for Social Security benefits before January 1, 1985
the individual is entitled to benefits on the earnings record of a worker who died while in
the U.S. military service or as a result of a service-connected disease or injury
the nonpayment of benefits would be contrary to a treaty obligation of the United States
in effect as of August 1, 1956 (i.e., the individual is a citizen of a treaty obligation country)
(see list of countries in Appendix A)
the individual is a citizen or resident of a country with which the United States has a
totalization agreement, unless otherwise specified in the agreement (see list of countries
in Appendix A)
Source: Section 202(t) of the Social Security Act.