There may be some conflation of
spousal benefits and survivor benefits terminology.
See my latest reply (#92) to
@Tom NJ
Sometimes SS brick and motor office is helpful, other times not. A couple years ago the hold time when calling SSA in Washington (state) was forever. I ran a few cordless phone batteries dry, lol, I really meant ...

Finally a sympathetic and well-versed SS office manager gave me a hotline number to check on my wife's paperwork that was delayed a month - and the clock was running (down to days!) on her Medicare cutover.