Client came to UK from Portugal with husband in 2006. Husband worked briefly in UK than got ill and subsequently died ( not through an industrial accident/ disease ). We appealed refusal of bereavement benefits on grounds that he had worked and paid into Portuguese social security system for over 20 years prior to coming to UK.
Have not had submission yet but when I queried why DWP had not referred case to International Pensions Centre to look into his Portuguese contributions their response was EU contributions do not count towards bereavement benefit.
Is this correct? Can anyone point me to the relevant legislation?
Many thanks.

Regulation 1408/71 is the relevant one. As far as I can see on a cursory reading, it does not provide rules for aggregating periods of insurance in other Member States in the same way as it does for pensions and some other contributory benefits. It only secures the exportability of survivors' benefits within the EEA.

Thanks - I'll check it out.