What To Do When Death Comes Knocking Unexpectedly

This article is part of an ongoing series about the importance of end-of-life planning at all ages. Check out the previous installment of this series here.

Death is difficult to handle, regardless of how old the deceased was and irrespective of whether the death was anticipated. However, for those who lose a loved one suddenly, many people are completely unaware of what needs to be done.

If you have a loved one in hospice, you may know what steps need to be taken first, but for countless individuals who lose loved ones way too soon without warning, knowing how to respond is far from second nature.

When a loved one dies, what steps do you take and how soon do you have to do everything?

Immediately Upon Death

1. Declaration of Death: Contact 911 (or hospice if death was expected). The death needs to be confirmed by an authority, which is called a legal pronouncement of death. In most cases outside of hospice-care deaths or hospital deaths, the deceased will be transported to the nearest hospital so that death can be declared by a doctor.

2. Transportation of the Body: Following the legal pronouncement of death, the body will be transported to the appointed coroner if an autopsy is needed, or to the funeral home/crematorium if no autopsy is necessary. Whomever makes the legal pronouncement can assist the family in determining who to call to transport the body.

3. Death Certificate: The coroner will execute the death certificate, of which multiple copies are needed. The death certificate is typically sent to the funeral home that prepared the body postmortem.

4. Life Insurance: If the individual had life insurance, the provider of the policy/policies needs to be informed posthaste. The life insurance will be granted to the beneficiary following submission of the documents and death certificate. While the death certificate can take a few weeks to be processed and returned – and therefore the life insurance not submitted immediately – proof of life insurance needs to be kept on hand. Funeral homes are businesses and, while they are frequently paid by the insurance company, they do run like any other business and therefore necessitate payment. Without proof of insurance sufficient to cover the funeral costs, the bill will fall to the deceased's family.

Additionally, during this time, the deceased family and friends should be contacted and any dependents and pets taken care of. Because life insurance is often issued through an employer, the deceased's employer may have already been contacted. If not, inform them of the death.

If the individual had a living will, locate and bring that document to ensure the deceased's wishes are met.

Within The First Week

1. Make Arrangements: The beneficiary will need to go to the funeral home that will prepare the body to make final arrangements, including embalming, cremation, funeral services and burial/internment. The obituary will also be written and can be distributed to newspapers at this point with the guidance of the funeral director.

2. If Military, Contact Veteran Affairs: If the deceased was a member of the military, the VA should be informed. Oftentimes, military members have death benefits available to help cover funeral costs. There may be widow/widowers benefits or pensions available as well. The VA advocate can help the family determine what help is available and get that process underway.

Make sure to have multiple copies of the death certificate. Many people will request it as proof before they proceed in helping the family execute the estate, close bank accounts or receive survivor benefits.

Within 2 Weeks Of Death

1. Locate and Deliver the Will: If the deceased had a will, it needs to be accepted for probate by the appropriate entities. Bring the document to the county or city office responsible.

2. Begin Handling the Estate: Sometimes, a bank account for the deceased's estate will need to be opened. The county/city officials who accepted the will for probate will be able to guide the family as to whether this is necessary.

3. Contact or Hire Lawyer(s): It is highly advised that a lawyer be contacted regarding the death so that the loved ones can have the proper resources to help guide their financial actions moving through the after-death process and beyond.

4. Contact Tax Preparer or Accountant: Depending on the breadth of the estate, an estate-tax return may need to be filed. Additionally, a final income-tax return may be necessary as well.

5. Inform Social Security and/or Pension Service Providers: Particularly if the deceased received social security benefits, the agency needs to be informed. Payments must be stopped, and at this time, the family can request information regarding survivor benefits. The same is true for pension service providers.

6. Inform Others: All relevant financial institutes need to be informed, as does the post office, utility companies, doctors' offices and loan issuers (mortgage, student loans, car loans, credit card lenders, etc.).

7. Take Steps to Ensure Financial Fraud Doesn't Happen: Make sure a 1041 is filed and inform those entities who need to know that the individual is deceased. Call credit bureaus. While the bureaus will find out eventually, it is best to make sure they know shortly after the death, so that any credit lines which may be attempted to be altered can be flagged.

Final Thoughts

As explained by a recent Forbes article, "The older you get, the more expensive your life insurance is going to become. You're less of a liability at a younger age because you're more likely to be healthy and without pre-existing conditions […] Ultimately, you make the decision about what type of policy is best for you, but you should have at least some coverage. Hopefully you won't need to use it for many years to come, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Please, take the necessary steps today to ensure that your loved ones are prepared for the unthinkable.

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