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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Get lots of copies of the death certificate. More than you think you'll need. Everyone will want a copy. Notify Social Security. Notify the bank. And anyone he had an account with. If he had life insurance, call the insurance company to start a claim. If he had a pension or any other income or benefits, notify them. Anything his name was on as an owner, house, car,... needs to be contacted and notified of his death. You can ask them what you need to do.
I'm sorry for your loss. Take some time for yourself. Ask family or a trusted friend to help you during this time, whether it is making phone calls to notify friends and family, or to cancel accounts, or to go through his personal belongings, and donate or dispose of clothing, which you may find hard to do.
In my State you can't even start Probate for 9 or 10 days. If your Wills read "whats yours is mine" you may not even need to Probate. The funeral home will notify SS of the death. But I would make an appt now to see a caseworker directly about your survivor benefit.
If he has a pension, you need to notify them ASAP. If you shared a home, you need to contact the County about changing the deed to just you. My Funeral home gave me 10 death certificates and one of them they sent to SS. I used maybe two, like said some excepted a copy.
In addition to all the good information above, here are a few more suggestions. 1) Have someone help you with the paperwork and phone calls. 2) If your husband was a lawyer or a physician, contact the state bar association (lawyers) or medical association. 3) Even if your husband was retired, consider contacting his final employer. 4) If you're going to have a funeral or memorial service, arrange for someone to be at your home during the funeral or service. Unfortunately, sometimes crooks find the home addresses of recently deceased persons and go to the home at a time when they think no one will be there.
Depend on your situation in my case, it was pretty painless. I needed to give copies of the death certificates to any joint accounts. We had to take her name off of them. I also had to send the death certificate to some retirement account she had in her name only and that was about it. I’m bummed because I had about three certified copies made $$ and everyone accepted photo copy.
I paid for 10 copies and I have 8 left. Even social security made a copy. Let Social Security know FIRST!!! It took us almost 12 weeks to straighten out how my mom would get paid his share of benefits.
Paperwork and Tasks After a Death In the U.S. (Varies a little by state)
1. Get the official death certificates. Usually ordered through the funeral home or the county vital records office. You’ll typically need 5-10 certified copies for banks, insurance, property, etc. 2. Locate key documents. These will guide everything else: Will or Living Trust Advance directives or health care instructions Social Security card/number Marriage certificate and birth certificate Insurance policies Property deeds and titles Bank and financial account information Military discharge papers (If applicable) 3. Notify the following agencies and organizations: Social Security Administration. The funeral home often notifies SSA, but you should confirm. Ask about survivor benefits if applicable. Medicare/Medicaid. Cancel benefits to prevent overpayments. If the person was on Medicaid, there may be estate recovery rules, depending on what property they owned. Employer: Final paycheck. Life insurance through work. Retirement account processing. Veterans Affairs (If applicable) possible burial benefits. Flag, headstone, survivor benefits. 4. If there is a will, it usually needs to be filed with the probate court in the county where the person lived. Executor is officially appointed by the court. If there is a trust, probate may not be needed unless some assets were left outside the trust. Successor trustee steps in and manages the process. If there is no will, the estate goes through intestate probate and the court appoints an administrator. 5. Probate or trust administration paperwork. Depending on what applies: Petition for probate (if needed). Testamentary/Letters of Administration (court authorization). Inventory and appraisal of the estate. Notices to heirs and beneficiaries. Creditor notification. Accounting to the court or beneficiaries. 6. Financial and property tasks: Notify banks/credit unions. Freeze or close accounts. Redirect automatic payments. Manage joint accounts. Insurance: Life insurance claim forms. Auto, home, renter’s insurance updates/cancellations. Health insurance termination. Real estate: Secure the home. Change utilities into estate name if needed. Notify mortgage company or landlord. File a Change in Ownership form with the county (If inherited). Taxes: Final income tax return. Estate income tax return (if assets earned money during probate). Possible federal estate tax. (Rare unless estate is very large). 7. Cancel or transfer services: Driver’s license, voter registration, cell phone, internet, streaming services. Memberships, subscriptions, credit cards. Notify credit agencies to prevent identity theft. 8. Personal and Miscellaneous Tasks: Close social media accounts or memorialize them. Handle pets, mail forwarding and personal belongings. Notify friends and family as needed.
In my experience, it’s more a matter of phone calls than paperwork. The paperwork depends on where you are and what business your loved one had. Once you notify these parties they should help you with what documentation they need.
For a retired person in the US with the usual obligations, here’s a list to start with:
1. Hospice should notify the state and will notify the funeral home of your choice if you ask (or you can). The funeral home notifies social security.
2. You will need to request copies of the death certificate from the state to provide to entities that request it. The funeral home may handle this for you as well.
3. You should contact social security if you are the spouse or dependent to find out your survivor options and make your election. Note that if a payment is deposited for your loved one after their death the amount will be sent back by the bank.
4. Banks and investments (joint accounts). They will want the death certificate and will have paperwork to move the accounts from jointly held to your individual account. Investments that are not jointly owned will be part of the estate and handled by the executor ( need an attorney’s help if an estate will need to be probated).
5. Insurance-contact all relevant insurance companies your loved one has policies with. Life, health (supplemental plan or Medicare advantage), dental, burial policy, etc. Call your homeowners and auto insurers to change the name on your policies. The insurers will tell you what paperwork they require.
6. Doctors that aren’t already aware of the death.
7. Utilities, to change the service to your name. Mobile phone providers may be willing to waive penalties for canceling their contract.
8. Any creditors of the deceased, including mortgage holders. They will provide instructions and paperwork.
9. Pension plan administrator. They will advise you if survivor benefits are payable and provide paperwork.
It’s best to do these as soon as you can, but you don’t necessarily have to make the initial calls yourself. You can have someone else call if they are willing. I made the calls for my husband when his mother passed.
Retired, Federal Government - Notify OP of the death, they will send paperwork Not Retired, Federal Government - Same thing Notify Social Security - if the deceased has previously submitted paperwork so that the annuity goes to an individual, the SSA will take care of that. Insurance Companies - most will require a death certificate Banks - most will require a death certificate Stocks/Bonds - talk to the broker Is there a will? Are you the executor? File for probate with your local courthouse. No will - talk to a lawyer - they can guide you through Will there be a published obituary? contact newspapers for details. And don't forget the small local newspapers. Is there a Facebook account or other on line media - each one has rules as to how to close an account or place it into a memory account. Cemetery - Crematorium - there will be paperwork for burial or cremation.
Are you his executor? If he has no will then you will have to file in probate. If he has a lot of assets that do not include your name, you will still have to file in probate and might need a lawyer. A lot depends on how titles and assetts are written.
You need to see an attorney. If you are the executor of his will you will have many duties starting with applying to IRS to an EIN for his estate, or acting on his trust. If there are no wills or trusts done then you will have to be assigned by the court to manage settling his estate.
The funeral establishment will notify you Social Security, but you must ask them if they did that and tell them how many death certificates; most places (banks and etc) will make a copy of the original when you present it, but if he has accounts in stocks etc they may want an original so get at least 5. They are harder to get later. And try to use copies where you can. Notify one of the credit agencies. I myself, when my brother died, had no published notification or notification of obituary, etc. Some into scamming, graft and corruption follow these closely. Be certain you notify one of the credit agencies he has died. That would be Transunion, or Experian or Equifax. That one will result in the other two being notified so that credit cannot be taken out in his name.
If you are not up on how to do all this and on what is needed get the book from Amazon that is titled: "Please Don't Die, but if you DO Die, What Do I Do Next". Paperback, cheap and pretty easy to follow.
Good luck, and my condolences on your loss. Get someone to help and guide you. Pastor? Senior Center, family, friend who's been there. You need support right now.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Notify Social Security.
Notify the bank. And anyone he had an account with.
If he had life insurance, call the insurance company to start a claim.
If he had a pension or any other income or benefits, notify them.
Anything his name was on as an owner, house, car,... needs to be contacted and notified of his death. You can ask them what you need to do.
I'm sorry for your loss. Take some time for yourself.
Ask family or a trusted friend to help you during this time, whether it is making phone calls to notify friends and family, or to cancel accounts, or to go through his personal belongings, and donate or dispose of clothing, which you may find hard to do.
If he has a pension, you need to notify them ASAP. If you shared a home, you need to contact the County about changing the deed to just you. My Funeral home gave me 10 death certificates and one of them they sent to SS. I used maybe two, like said some excepted a copy.
In addition to all the good information above, here are a few more suggestions.
1) Have someone help you with the paperwork and phone calls.
2) If your husband was a lawyer or a physician, contact the state bar association (lawyers) or medical association.
3) Even if your husband was retired, consider contacting his final employer.
4) If you're going to have a funeral or memorial service, arrange for someone to be at your home during the funeral or service. Unfortunately, sometimes crooks find the home addresses of recently deceased persons and go to the home at a time when they think no one will be there.
(Varies a little by state)
1. Get the official death certificates. Usually ordered through the funeral home or the county vital records office. You’ll typically need 5-10 certified copies for banks, insurance, property, etc.
2. Locate key documents. These will guide everything else:
Will or Living Trust
Advance directives or health care instructions
Social Security card/number
Marriage certificate and birth certificate
Insurance policies
Property deeds and titles
Bank and financial account information
Military discharge papers (If applicable)
3. Notify the following agencies and organizations:
Social Security Administration. The funeral home often notifies SSA, but you should confirm. Ask about survivor benefits if applicable.
Medicare/Medicaid. Cancel benefits to prevent overpayments. If the person was on Medicaid, there may be estate recovery rules, depending on what property they owned.
Employer: Final paycheck. Life insurance through work. Retirement account processing. Veterans Affairs (If applicable) possible burial benefits. Flag, headstone, survivor benefits.
4. If there is a will, it usually needs to be filed with the probate court in the county where the person lived. Executor is officially appointed by the court. If there is a trust, probate may not be needed unless some assets were left outside the trust. Successor trustee steps in and manages the process. If there is no will, the estate goes through intestate probate and the court appoints an administrator.
5. Probate or trust administration paperwork. Depending on what applies: Petition for probate (if needed). Testamentary/Letters of Administration (court authorization). Inventory and appraisal of the estate. Notices to heirs and beneficiaries. Creditor notification. Accounting to the court or beneficiaries.
6. Financial and property tasks: Notify banks/credit unions. Freeze or close accounts. Redirect automatic payments. Manage joint accounts.
Insurance: Life insurance claim forms. Auto, home, renter’s insurance updates/cancellations. Health insurance termination. Real estate: Secure the home. Change utilities into estate name if needed. Notify mortgage company or landlord. File a Change in Ownership form with the county (If inherited).
Taxes: Final income tax return. Estate income tax return (if assets earned money during probate). Possible federal estate tax. (Rare unless estate is very large).
7. Cancel or transfer services: Driver’s license, voter registration, cell phone, internet, streaming services. Memberships, subscriptions, credit cards. Notify credit agencies to prevent identity theft.
8. Personal and Miscellaneous Tasks: Close social media accounts or memorialize them. Handle pets, mail forwarding and personal belongings. Notify friends and family as needed.
I’m sorry for your loss.
For a retired person in the US with the usual obligations, here’s a list to start with:
1. Hospice should notify the state and will notify the funeral home of your choice if you ask (or you can). The funeral home notifies social security.
2. You will need to request copies of the death certificate from the state to provide to entities that request it. The funeral home may handle this for you as well.
3. You should contact social security if you are the spouse or dependent to find out your survivor options and make your election. Note that if a payment is deposited for your loved one after their death the amount will be sent back by the bank.
4. Banks and investments (joint accounts). They will want the death certificate and will have paperwork to move the accounts from jointly held to your individual account. Investments that are not jointly owned will be part of the estate and handled by the executor ( need an attorney’s help if an estate will need to be probated).
5. Insurance-contact all relevant insurance companies your loved one has policies with. Life, health (supplemental plan or Medicare advantage), dental, burial policy, etc. Call your homeowners and auto insurers to change the name on your policies. The insurers will tell you what paperwork they require.
6. Doctors that aren’t already aware of the death.
7. Utilities, to change the service to your name. Mobile phone providers may be willing to waive penalties for canceling their contract.
8. Any creditors of the deceased, including mortgage holders. They will provide instructions and paperwork.
9. Pension plan administrator. They will advise you if survivor benefits are payable and provide paperwork.
It’s best to do these as soon as you can, but you don’t necessarily have to make the initial calls yourself. You can have someone else call if they are willing. I made the calls for my husband when his mother passed.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Not Retired, Federal Government - Same thing
Notify Social Security - if the deceased has previously submitted paperwork so that the annuity goes to an individual, the SSA will take care of that.
Insurance Companies - most will require a death certificate
Banks - most will require a death certificate
Stocks/Bonds - talk to the broker
Is there a will? Are you the executor? File for probate with your local courthouse.
No will - talk to a lawyer - they can guide you through
Will there be a published obituary? contact newspapers for details. And don't forget the small local newspapers.
Is there a Facebook account or other on line media - each one has rules as to how to close an account or place it into a memory account.
Cemetery - Crematorium - there will be paperwork for burial or cremation.
If you are the executor of his will you will have many duties starting with applying to IRS to an EIN for his estate, or acting on his trust. If there are no wills or trusts done then you will have to be assigned by the court to manage settling his estate.
The funeral establishment will notify you Social Security, but you must ask them if they did that and tell them how many death certificates; most places (banks and etc) will make a copy of the original when you present it, but if he has accounts in stocks etc they may want an original so get at least 5. They are harder to get later. And try to use copies where you can.
Notify one of the credit agencies.
I myself, when my brother died, had no published notification or notification of obituary, etc. Some into scamming, graft and corruption follow these closely. Be certain you notify one of the credit agencies he has died. That would be Transunion, or Experian or Equifax. That one will result in the other two being notified so that credit cannot be taken out in his name.
If you are not up on how to do all this and on what is needed get the book from Amazon that is titled:
"Please Don't Die, but if you DO Die, What Do I Do Next".
Paperback, cheap and pretty easy to follow.
Good luck, and my condolences on your loss. Get someone to help and guide you. Pastor? Senior Center, family, friend who's been there. You need support right now.