What to Do When A Loved One Passes Away
Most people face a hard time closing out a loved one’s life after their demise. The trauma and sorrow accompanying the loss of a loved one may be too overwhelming for you to attend to the necessary tasks to do when a loved one passes away. Giving proper tribute, making funeral arrangements, carrying out last wishes, dealing with his/her estates, closing his/her bank accounts, are just but a few of the tasks that may require your attention. However, to cope with the pain and all these responsibilities, try not to handle everything alone, you can cut yourself some slack by dividing responsibilities with your family members, or trusted friends. It is also possible to hire the services of an outside party such as an attorney to help through any legal process if finances allow.
A Checklist on What to Do When a Loved One Passes Away
The following checklist includes what to do after the final burial or cremation of the diseased.
Request for a Death Certificate
Obtain several copies of certified death certificates from the statistics office of the state in which your loved one died. If you are unable to do this, you may as well request the same through the funeral home. Some other entities will need these copies to clear the deceased from their systems.
Probate the Estate
The deceased is most likely to have named his will executor if he wrote one. The executor is responsible for distributing property and carrying out final wishes of the late. However, if your loved one passed away without living a will (intestacy), the state law provides a list of individuals who can serve in the same capacity. Moreover, if you appointed will executor, you need to acquire letters testamentary proving you have the right to manage the deceased’s finances during probate. If you are the executor, you may consult a probate and trust administration lawyer to take you through the probate process.
Inform Financial Institutions
After receiving the death certificate and testamentary letters, contact the insurance company at which your loved one had a policy, including the policies issued by banks, mortgage cancellation and credit card companies. Some of the policies might bring about benefits if the death was because of an accident. Also, notify his/her savings and investment companies about the demise so that the accounts are frozen and plans made to transfer assets to accounts belonging to his/her beneficiaries. You may as well check with pension providers if the benefits include next of kin payments. Apart from bank accounts and pensioners, ensure you contact credit, mortgage companies, and other loan companies to settle on how to start paying off debts in case your loved one left any unpaid. Notifying such institutions also helps to avoid identity theft after the demise of a loved one.
Contact Service Providers
It is crucial to get in touch with your loved one’s service providers in case of their death. Discontinue or change the services offered by these utility companies. For instance, cancelling services like; internet, cable television, and telephone lines whereas delaying services like water, gas, lawn care, and electricity because they are required to maintain the deceased home.
Inform Government Agencies
Inform relevant government agencies to start and/or end benefits that may be issued to the spouse of the deceased or his/her children. In some cases, apart from the children and the surviving partner, even ex-spouses qualify for survivor benefits. Additionally, for those who served the army and died in the line of duty, veteran administration survivor benefits are paid to the surviving spouse and the children.
Verdict
Having to go through the passing of a loved one is a daunting journey. However, knowing what to do with your loved one’s finances, assets and how to go about all the tasks that come along with the demise may bring a little comfort and order to the survivors. If you have lost your loved one and you are having trouble knowing what to do and how to go about all legal and financial procedures, contact our probate and trust administration lawyers at The Mattar Firm for consultation and help throughout the process. We understand your situation and will help you through the process smoothly.