Who is notified when a patient dies

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Text size. Relatives and friends need to be informed, as well as: telephone, internet, energy companies clubs for example RSL, sports and fitness government departments banks insurance companies online accounts for example, email and social media accounts.

Links Sample letter notifying of a death. Australian Death Notification Service. While settling affairs for your loved one, it is helpful to have some of these documents on hand:.

Social Security offers death benefits to a surviving spouse, or, if there is no surviving spouse, an eligible child. Certain family members may also be eligible for benefits.

Death benefits may also include Veterans Administration, insurance, employee pension and union or fraternal organization benefits. Income taxes still need to be filed for the deceased for that year. Taxes are due on the normal filing date, but you can request an extension. If the deceased was your spouse, you can still file jointly. If you have dependent children, you can file a joint return for two more years.

Check with the IRS , a tax consultant or online to see if you will need to file for a federal estate tax return. If you do need to file for this, you should do it within nine months of the death. UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider.

We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider. Find resources available to help you with the most common and confusing decisions faced by families and friends after the death of a loved one. Discover examples of books and movies to help educate children and teens about death, to encourage discussion and help them cope with loss.

Grief is one of the deepest pains we experience. We have compiled a list of funeral homes and cremation resources for your convenience. Find more info on selecting a funeral home and planning a ceremony here. Connect with a team that can help you find resources, solve problems and advocate for you during treatment at UCSF. Find out how to contact us with comments, questions or concerns. Chaplains representing many faiths are available around the clock to provide support, comfort and counsel to patients, families and caregivers.

Patient Education. Also inquire about whether there is a company-wide life insurance policy. Get 10 copies. You're going to need death certificates to close bank and brokerage accounts, to file insurance claims and to register the death with government agencies, among other things.

The funeral home you're working with can get copies on your behalf, or you can order them from the vital statistics office in the state in which the person died. Your loved one's survivors need to know where any money, property or belongings will go. Ideally, you talked with your relative before she passed and she told you where she kept her will. If not, look for the document in a desk, a safety deposit box or wherever she kept important papers.

People usually name an executor the person who will manage the settling of the estate in their will. The executor needs to be involved in most of the steps going forward.

If there isn't a will, the probate court judge will name an administrator in place of an executor. While you don't need an attorney to settle an estate, having one makes things easier. The executor should pick the attorney. If your loved one had a CPA, contact her; if not, hire one. The estate may have to file a tax return, and a final tax return will need to be filed on the deceased's behalf.

Probate is the legal process of executing a will. You'll need to do this at a county or city probate court office. Probate court makes sure that the person's debts and liabilities are paid and that the remaining assets are transferred to the beneficiaries.

Laws vary by state, but the probate process usually starts with an inventory of all assets personal property, bank accounts, house, car, brokerage account, personal property, furniture, jewelry, etc.

For the physical items in the household, Harbison suggests hiring an appraiser. Part of the work of making that inventory of assets is finding them all. The task, called marshaling the assets, can be a big job. There are search firms that will help you track down assets in exchange for a cut.

Harbison recommends a DIY approach: Comb your family member's tax returns, mail, email, brokerage and bank accounts, deeds and titles to find assets.

Don't leave any safety deposit box or filing cabinet unopened. Share the list with the executor so that important expenses like the mortgage, taxes and utilities are taken care of while the estate is settled. Some family members may be eligible for death benefits from Social Security. Contact your local SSA office to do so. The agency will let Medicaid know that your loved one died.

If the person didn't, you'll need a copy of the death certificate. Depending on the type of asset, the beneficiary may get access to the account or benefit simply by filling out appropriate forms and providing a copy of the death certificate no executor needed. This removes the deceased's name from the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles and prevents identity theft.

Contact the local DMV for specific instructions, but you'll need a copy of the death certificate. Contact customer service and tell the representative that you're closing the account on behalf of a deceased relative. You'll need to provide a copy of the death certificate to do this, too. Keep records of accounts you close, and inform the executor of any outstanding balances on the cards.

Contact providers to end coverage for the deceased on home, auto and health insurance policies, and ask that any unused premium be returned. You can delete Facebook or Instagram accounts, but some survivors choose to turn them into a memorial for their loved one instead. Friends will be able to post on the timeline. Whether you choose to delete or memorialize, you'll need to contact the company with copies of your ID as well as the death certificate.

To prevent identity theft and fraud, it's a good idea to shut down the deceased's email account. If the person set up a funeral plan or a will, she may have included log-in information so you can do this yourself. If not, you'll need copies of the death certificate to cancel an email account.