What do I do now that my loved one has died?

98. What do I do now that my loved
one has died?

What you have to do afterward depends on whether
the death occurs in the hospital or at home. In the
hospital, the body will be moved to the morgue and
kept there until you have made arrangements for its
disposition. This doesn’t have to be decided immediately.

Although there are public health laws that limit
the number of days the body can remain there, most
hospitals give families three days to a week to get in
touch with a funeral home or some other service.

Funeral homes will then contact the hospital and
make all the arrangements for transporting the body.
If the death occurs at home, you do not have to call
the police, but you should call the hospice program or
the primary physician. You can then contact the
funeral home or crematorium, which will then arrange
to have the body transported to their facility.

After you’ve informed family members and friends of
what’s happened, you will also need to contact the
attorney, financial planner, and/or accountant to begin
settling your loved one’s estate. Other business matters
that will need attending to include: contacting the
bank to close accounts and notifying the Social Security
Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs,
insurance companies, and former employers and/or
unions, in order to apply for any benefits that you or
other family members might be entitled to. These
agencies will ask you for copies of the death certificate
for verification, so be sure to obtain several duplicates,
either through the funeral director or the health
department.