When a parent dies after a long illness, the person who coordinated the care often becomes the person who coordinates everything after. The calls do not stop. They change: the funeral home, the bank, the insurance company, the equipment supplier. This checklist puts the first weeks in order. Take it one item at a time, and hand items to other family members.
The first days
Contact the funeral home the family has chosen. Funeral homes usually help with the death certificate and with notifying Social Security.
Order certified copies of the death certificate. Banks, insurers, and government offices often ask for one each. Ask the funeral home how many to order.
Tell close family and friends, or ask one person to make those calls.
Cancel scheduled services: home care, home health, meal delivery, transportation, and appointments.
The first two weeks
Social Security. The Social Security Administration says funeral homes generally report a death, so families usually do not need to. If no funeral home is involved, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (SSA). Ask about survivor benefits, including the one-time payment that may be available to a spouse.
The VA, if the person was a veteran or received VA benefits. Ask about burial and survivor benefits.
Pensions, insurance, and annuities. Call each pension, insurer, and annuity company and ask what it needs to process a claim.
Medical equipment. Call the supplier to arrange pickup of rented equipment such as a hospital bed, oxygen, or a wheelchair.
Leftover medicines. Ask the pharmacy or the hospice about a take-back program or safe disposal.
The first month
The will and the estate. Find the will and talk with an attorney about whether probate is needed and who should act for the estate. Avoid paying the person’s debts from your own money before getting advice.
Banks and accounts. Ask each bank what it needs to close or transfer accounts.
Bills and subscriptions. Cancel what is no longer needed. Keep a list of everything cancelled, with dates.
Mail and identity. Forward the mail, keep the person’s documents in one safe place, and ask the credit bureaus how to flag the person as deceased.
OPA’s free What Happens After checklist lists these items with space for dates and notes. The Document Locator, if the family filled one in earlier, shows where the papers are kept.
For the person who carried the care
When caregiving ends, the hours it filled are empty. Grief can arrive weeks later. Ask other family members to take items from this list. Talk with someone you trust, and with your own doctor if sleep, appetite, or mood are not returning.
A first step
Write the names of three family members next to the items each one will handle.
Rules for benefits, estates, and accounts change, and the statements here were current Confirm current requirements before acting. Confirm them with Social Security, the VA, the funeral home, or a licensed Georgia attorney. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.