Two children are entitled to the Social Security benefits of the man identified as their father even though they might not be his biological children, a federal magistrate judge has concluded.

Ruling in Abreu v. Colvin, 14-cv-9240, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis IV reversed a decision by the Social Security commissioner to deny benefits for the children, Madeline and Jairo, whose mother informed the Social Security Administration that the children were not fathered by her deceased husband but still sought to obtain survivor benefits on their behalf.

According to court papers, Indiana Abreu married Santiago Martinez in 1986 and gave birth to Madeline and Jairo in 1988 and 1991, respectively. Martinez was listed on both children's birth certificates as their father.