Cremation services Niles, IL, are just one facet of what needs to be arranged after your loved one dies.

When your loved one dies, the list of things you need to take care of seems to be never-ending. Along with arranging funeral services, you need to notify many private and government organizations about the death of the loved one to avoid identity theft and fulfill legal formalities.

It may significantly add to the stress you’re already dealing with if you don’t know beforehand what documents or agencies you need to contact for the necessary paperwork.

This blog post contains useful information about which organizations you need to notify to expedite the process. You would need the deceased’s social security number and a copy of the death certificate to check off those agencies.

Below is a list of some agencies you need to contact immediately. The list may be incomplete – given each individual has a distinct lifestyle and employment status.

Contact with the Employer

Contact the deceased’s employer or HR department to check if he or she is eligible for any death benefits, insurances, or retirement funds. Have a copy of the descendant’s death certificate with you when you call.

Contact and Close Bank Accounts

Access to the bank accounts – current, CDs, savings, etc. – and apply for closing them all. Different banks have different procedures for closing the accounts but you can proceed with most of them after securing the death certificate.

Also, you may be allowed to use SOME of the money in the deceased’s accounts to pay for their outstanding bills and/or funeral arrangements.

Other Financial Organizations

You need to contact credit card agencies and notify them of the death to deter identity or financial theft. Make sure you check:

• Veterans’ disability/death records
• Mortgage documents
• Real state deeds
• Property tax records and statements
• IRS income tax returns
• Investment/brokerage accounts
• List of safety deposit boxes
• Investment records
• Loan notes
• Financial statements and agreements

Get access to these records and contact the concerned authorities to notify them of your loved one’s death.

Arranging Legal Documents

The list of legal documents that you need to take care of is long. Search for:

• Will or Trust of the deceased – the most important document – and fulfill everything mentioned in it including disposition Authorization, children’s caretaker, Power of Attorney, distribution of real state, etc.
• Military service papers
• Social Security Card
• Immigration or citizenship documents
• Organ donation papers, if any
• Domestic Partnership Registration
• Court documents for any agreement

Don’t rush into collecting these documents. Take your time and start collecting them when you are emotionally stable.

Medicaid and Medicare

Contact and notify the Social Security Administration about death and it will automatically pass the information on to Medicaid and Medicare.

Personal Utilities

Make a list of the personal utilities of the deceased such as:

• Membership certificates of gyms and other clubs, newspapers, magazines, etc.
• Utility bills (Gas, electricity, cable, TV, Internet, cell phones)

Contact the concerned companies and cancel the subscriptions before the accounts get charged again. Otherwise, they would continue to charge renewal or monthly fees and keep deducting money from the deceased’s accounts.

The paperwork may seem too complicated or too much but now that you know about it, you can plan and arrange the documents beforehand for your terminally ill loved one.

Cremation services Niles, IL, require a lot of organization.