After A Death Checklist ~ Dr.G

After a Death Checklist

After the death of a loved one, there are many details to handle.  This checklist can help you gather information you will need.  Please be forewarned that not everyone you speak with will be nice to you.  Some may interrogate you as to who you are, what happened, what right you have to be calling, etc.  It can be very emotionally draining and extremely difficult to deal with.  Try to remember these people are doing their jobs, trying to prevent con artists and scams.  It doesn’t make it right as to how some may mistreat you nor have sympathy for your situation, but if you have everything listed below in place before you make the calls, it should take away from some of the stress of the situation.

1. Purchase death certificate – Request approximately 10 to 15 certified copies depending on the deceased’s assets, loans, business and military affiliations.  Sometimes photocopies are not accepted.  It may be less expensive to order the certificates at once.  Check with your funeral director for assistance or go down to the local county clerk’s office (for the county where your loved one passed away).
2. Gather personal information – To report the death and handle business transactions, you will need:
1. Social Security numbers for the deceased, the living spouse and dependent children.
2. The deceased’s full name – find out what name was used on all their legal transactions (did they just use their first and last name; did they use the common shortened version like Alex instead of Alexander, Bobby or Rob instead of Robert, Bill or Will instead of William; did they use just the middle initial or their full middle name; did they use Sr., Jr., I, II, III, etc.)  Usually their driver’s license will give you an idea.
3. Date and cause of death – can usually be found on the death certificate.
4. Copies of the marriage license.
5. Copies of birth certificates for any dependent children.
6. Copies of adoption papers for any dependent children who were adopted.
7. Copies of custody papers for dependent children.
3. Locate the Last Will and Testament –
1. check for an established trust.
2. begin probate procedures immediately – Letters of Testamentary are necessary for you to be able to do ANY transactions – including banking, filing for benefits, transferring ownership, etc.  If there are any items of value such as homes, vehicles, collections which have titles, deeds or certificates of authenticity, these items need to be placed in the name of the executor(s) of the will or the beneficiary stated in the will.  Do not assume it is automatically transferred; there must be a paper trail from every point of ownership. 
4. Contact insurance companies – to report the death and to submit claims for possible benefits, including:
1. Life insurance – remember that the original policy may have been bought by another company over the years.  If there is not a paper trail to indicate which company now owns the policy, a great web site to go to is http://www.americaninsurancedepot.com/lost.htm  They have compiled a list of all the insurance company buy outs and takeovers.
2. Property and casualty insurance (auto and homeowners) – you will need letters of testamentary in order to transfer these into someone else’s name.
3. Health insurance – make sure that you have the policy or member numbers to these.  If your loved one was taken to a hospital, you can expect to receive bills from the ambulance company, hospital, individual doctors who worked on them, and any lab or studies (X-ray, MRI, CT Scan).  When these high bills are sent to you, write down the pertinent information on the remittance slip, include a copy of the death certificate (you do not need to send an original unless they ask for it), and, if necessary, call the billing companies and ask if they need any other information.  REMEMBER:  YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECEASED’S DEBT/BILLS, even though almost every billing department will attempt to convince you otherwise and may begin to hassle you into paying off the debt – it is illegal for them to do so.
5. Contact creditors –
1. report the death
2. to check for credit life insurance or accidental death life insurance benefits the deceased may have, including:

                                                               i.      home/real estate loans (the deceased may have put a “to be paid in full upon death” option on the loan)

                                                             ii.      auto loans (the deceased may have put a “to be paid in full upon death” option on the loan)

                                                            iii.      credit cards (the deceased may have put a “to be paid in full upon death” option)

6. REMEMBER:  YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECEASED’S DEBT/BILLS, even though almost every billing department will attempt to convince you otherwise and may begin to hassle you into paying off the debt – it is illegal for them to do so.  If there was a vehicle which still had payments (lease or purchase to own), the easiest thing to do is give the vehicle back to the bank and REMEMBER:  YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING OFF THE BALANCE ONCE YOU GIVE THE         VEHICLE BACK.
7. Contact banks/credit unions
1. report the death and check for insurance coverage on loans (the deceased may have put a “to be paid in full upon death” option on the loan)
2. review savings and checking accounts for direct deposits, automatic deposits, automatic withdrawals, automatic bill pay, and stop them if necessary.
3. note that a portion of the amount deposited for direct deposit or automatic deposits for current employment, retirement or pension funds, social security will be withdrawn, so please make sure there is enough money in the account to cover these withdrawals and the automatic bill pay and automatic withdrawals which may already be in place.  Non-sufficient Funds (NSF) fees can be devastating.
4. you may need to open an account in your name if you do not already have one.
8. Contact current and all former employers – report the death and check for potential benefits like group insurance, a pension or other benefits.
9. Contact fraternal organizations and associations – they may offer assistance or benefits.
10. Contact government agencies – notify the appropriate entities of the death and check for possible benefits.
1. contact Casualty Assistance Office at the nearest military installation

                                                               i.      they will guide you through the military benefits and entitlements if you spouse is retired military.

2. contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at (800) 827-1000 or www.va.gov

                                                               i.      they will assist you with the settlement of veteran insurance programs such as SGLI, VGLI, NSLI, USGLI, or DIC.

                                                             ii.      ask bout benefits for the surviving spouse and eligible children.

3. contact Defense Financing and Accounting at (800)-321-1080 or www.dfas.mil  – they are extremely helpful and will guide you through many of the military obstacles.

                                                               i.      they will help with the settlement of military retired pay.  They may take out a portion of the direct deposit, based on the date of death within the month, so please make sure there is enough money in the account to cover these withdrawals and the automatic bill pay and automatic withdrawals which may already be in place.  Non-sufficient Funds (NSF) fees can be devastating.

                                                             ii.      they will have a list of the insurance benefits the deceased was paying into and will start the application process for survivor annuity benefits such as RSFPP, SBP, RCSBP, and SSBP.  They have a list of the beneficiaries.  The beneficiaries will receive their allotted portion quickly.

4. contact the Social Security Administration at (800) 772-1213 or www.ssa.gov

                                                               i.      they will stop social security payment, if any.  They may take out a portion of the direct deposit, based on the date of death within the month, so please make sure there is enough money in the account to cover these withdrawals and the automatic bill pay and automatic withdrawals which may already be in place.  Non-sufficient Funds (NSF) fees can be devastating.

                                                             ii.      surviving spouses and dependent children may also be eligible for death and/or survivor benefits.

5. contact the Office of Personnel Management at (888) 767-6738 or www.opm.gov

                                                               i.      report the death and check if the deceased was a retired Civil Service employee.

11. Review financial paperwork
1. look at check stubs, cancelled checks, stocks and bonds, real estate, safe deposit information, etc. for clues to additional assets, benefits or obligations.
2. be sure to check incoming bills.
12. Review income tax forms
1. you will have to file income taxes for the deceased which will date from January 1 to the date of death.
2. you will have to file income taxes for the estate of the deceased

                                                               i.      you must obtain an EIN (employer identification number) for the estate by going to www.irs.gov.  Fill out form SS-4.  For #1 type “Estate of___ - deceased”; #8a mark “Estate” – you will need the deceased’s social security number; #9 mark “Compliance with IRS withholding regulations”; #10 Date business started or acquired – this is where you type the date of death; #11 type “December”; #14 mark “Other” and type “Estate distribution”; #15 type “Estate distribution”; #16 mark “no”; go to the last box and type the appropriate information for your signature.

13. Talk to a financial professional – it is a good time to review your own life insurance and financial needs – including your will.  Make sure your ownership and beneficiary designations are current.
14. Contact a lawyer – complicated estates may require legal help.

Remember:  You may need to make decisions regarding joint accounts, titles and deeds to vehicles/real estate, retirement accounts and investment accounts.  Please contact a tax or financial professional before taking action as there could be tax implications with ownership changes and asset transfers.   PLEASE NOTE that they will charge you for the time you spend with them, so try to not go into “the story” of what happened and stick to the business you need them to take care of, the bills can get pretty outrageous.

NOTE:  When dealing with life insurance policies, make sure the beneficiary is also the owner of the policy.  It doesn't matter who is making the payments, as long as they are being made.  By having the beneficiary owing the policy, it takes out the "red tape" and delays for payment.  All the beneficiary has to do is present the death certificate and original policy (even if the company has changed hands several times).  If the deceased owned policies on the survivors, make the necessary changes to the policy so as to have the beneficiary own the policy.