Employee Owned & Operated
when death occurs
When a Death Occurs
Contact the Proper Authorities
Before any arrangements and decisions can be made, a legal pronouncement of death must be declared. If your loved one dies inside of a medical or nursing facility like a hospital or nursing home, the staff will handle getting this declaration made. If your loved one dies at home, you need to immediately contact the local emergency officials to come and take them to a hospital where they can be legally declared dead. Family members who die under hospice care can be declared dead by the hospice staff. This legal declaration must be made before the family can proceed with making any funeral arrangements or handling any legal affairs.
Begin to Make Arrangements
Once your loved one has been declared dead you and your family can proceed with making any type of funeral arrangements. Your loved one may have pre-planned any type of services, and you and your family should first look into those choices. If your loved one has not made any previous type of arrangements, and you have decided on which funeral home you would like to use for the services, you will contact them and meet with the funeral director and begin discussing options.
During this time, if the deceased hasn’t made their final wishes known, the family will need to decide if they will bury or cremate the body, and what type of service should be held. These decisions include the time, date and location of any service; what type of casket or urn your loved one needs; drafting an obituary notice; deciding on pallbearers; and make any decisions about the specifics of the service like who the minister will be, what music will be played and who will speak.
As part of the process to begin making the funeral arrangements, if the deceased was active or retired military, contact the Veterans Administration to determine if they offer any death benefits or service options.
Information the Funeral Home May Need
Once you have met the funeral director, they will advise you on any information or paperwork they need for the death certificate or to proceed with making final arrangements.
Information Required:
- Full name and address
- Marital status
- Race/Ethnicity
- Date and city of birth
- Highest level of education
- Father’s name, mother’s maiden name
- Name of spouse
- Occupation and employer
Documents Funereal Directors May Need
Funeral directors will need important documents to complete any legal paperwork. These documents include:
- Account statements
- Beneficiary designations
- Life insurance policies
- Military Discharge papers (form DD 214)
- Social Security Number
Taking Care of Personal Property
Following the death of your loved one, there are few things you need to attend to involving the deceased’s personal life. First, secure your loved one’s property. Make sure their home and vehicle are properly secure.
If your loved one has a pet, make the necessary arrangements for the pet to be taken care of by family or friends. Any mail that comes to your loved one should be forwarded to a family member that plans to handle the deceased’s estate. Any mail that piles up at a vacant home only alarms potential intruders that a home is empty.
Make sure to contact the deceased’s boss and inform them of the death. If your loved one had any upcoming appointments, make contact to notify them about the death and to cancel the appointment.
Who to Call at the Time of Death?
Who you should call depends on the place and manner in which the death occurred. For example, if your loved one passed away at home and was not under the direct care of a care team or hospice organization, you need to call 911, who will send Emergency personnel to assist. On the other hand, if the death happened in a hospital, the medical staff will help you.
Since this is a very emotional period, you need to contact close family and friends for support. They might also help with religious arrangements that need to be made. If the deceased was employed, inform their employer.
As mentioned above, it’s important to contact a funeral director as soon as possible to help with removing the body from the place of death, the funeral plans, including scheduling and arranging a funeral and memorial service.
The funeral home will provide you with a guided list of places and organizations that will need to be contacted in the days, weeks, months, and year following the death of a loved one.
What if Someone Dies Without a Will?
We recommend seeking the guidance of a qualified estate attorney and financial specialist if a loved one has died without a Will or other legal documentation in place.
What Should You Do Within the First Year Following a Death?
To be done immediately:
- Contact your loved one's place of employment.
- Follow up with the Social Security Administration.
- Contact the Veterans Administration, if applicable.
Within 1-2 Weeks:
- Obtain certified copies of the death certificate.
- File life insurance claims.
- Notify the US Postal Sevice to forward mail.
- Notify insurance companies.
- Notify banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions.
- Meet with the attorney.
- Send "Thank You" notes.
Within 1-2 Months:
- Paying outstanding bills.
- Discontinue utilities if needed.
- Contact your loved one’s cell phone provider.
- Notify your loved one’s financial advisor.
- Notify credit reporting and security agencies to minimize the chance of identity theft.
- Close e-mail accounts.
- Close/Change social media accounts.
- Transfer property.
- Cancel your loved one’s driver’s license.
- Cancel outstanding memberships.
- Cancel subscriptions.
Within 1 Year:
- File your loved one’s tax return.
- Notify the election board in the state of residency.
- Contact the funeral home if you are interested in making your own advance funeral arrangements.
- Accepting the loss of a loved one is difficult. However, while you may need time to grieve, there are critical decisions and actions that you need to make before and after contacting your local funeral home. The information above can help make a difficult and emotional process a little easier.