Widowhood is a crisis not only for the widow or widower who is left
alone and is forced to confront an entire new reality, but also for the family
which remains with a vacuum that is very hard to fill. The NII offers some
financial solutions in the form of benefits as well as vocational
rehabilitation for widows and widowers unable to provide for themselves. In
this case, the specific benefit one is entitled to depends on the cause of the
spouse’s death.