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Helpful
"Stuff"
A collection of suggestions that will help to have important information
available when needed.
Medical Emergencies:
When the unexpected happens and you are taken to the
emergency room, the intake people will go through your wallet to find your
hospitalization and medical insurance cards to xerox them. Ask yourself what
other information they should be able to find if you are unable to tell them. If
any of the following apply to you, you may wish to make a card for your wallet
that contains the information.
List of current medications and phone number of the
pharmacy that has your records. List of Allergies. Eyeglass
prescriptions and frame specifications. Hearing aid source and
specifications. Denture source and Dentist. And, not least if you
are away from your home area, the phone number of your personal physician.
When you are stabilized, will the family member or friend
who has come to your aid be able to find the information necessary to contact:
Pet, plant, and other home caretakers? The people with whom you have made
appointments that must be rescheduled? The person whom you have authorized to
handle your financial affairs in your absence? A copy of your Living Will? A
copy of your Power of Attorney for Health Care?
Notification of SURS of the Death of an Annuitant or
Survivor:
The passing of a loved one is such a stressful time that
it can be difficult to attend to all matters in a timely way. One of the most
important tasks for the survivor or beneficiary of a SURS Annuitant is to
notify SURS as soon as possible at 1-800-ASK-SURS or (217) 378-8800. And, it
can be helpful to read the relevant passages under the heading of “Benefits
Paid After Your Death” in the SURS Annuitant Guide (available
on-line at www.surs.org ). Also, it will be
especially helpful if you follow the advice given in the section “Helping
Your Survivor”.
The immediate task for a survivor or beneficiary and those
assisting them will be to notify SURS of the Annuitant’s death and to obtain the
necessary claim forms. Then, they should be aware that SURS handles claims both
for its own benefits, and as an administrator for State of Illinois
Health and Life Insurance. Because there now are three retirement plans (the
Traditional Benefit, the Portable Benefit, and the Self-Managed Plan) and
because provisions of state laws have changed over the years, there is no simple
way to describe the details of benefits that may be received following the death
of an annuitant. Consequently, the following is most likely, but not always,
applicable. SURS’ benefit following the death of an annuitant is either the
Survivor’s Annuity or, if there is no survivor, a Death Benefit. State of
Illinois health insurance coverage may apply to a survivor. State of Illinois
life insurance may include accidental death and dismemberment insurance as well
as supplemental life insurance purchased by the annuitant. Therefore, following
the notification of SURS of the death of an annuitant, there will be three
principal objectives: (1) Complete the application for the Survivor’s Annuity
(the monthly income from SURS) or, if there is no survivor, complete the
application for SURS’ death benefit; (2) If there is a survivor, determine what
must be done (through SURS) to secure the State of Illinois health (medical and
dental) benefits; and, (3) determine what must be done (through SURS) to secure
the State of Illinois life insurance benefits. It will be immensely helpful to
your survivor and/or beneficiaries if you can collect as much information as
possible for them before it is needed. Also, some (but not all) survivors of
annuitants who also have qualified for social security need to be aware of
provisions that link State of Illinois health insurance claim payments to
medical coverage provided by Medicare--Part B. A very useful reference to state
benefit provisions is the State of Illinois Benefits Handbook, published
every three years and mailed to you (via SURS).
Notification of Social Security Administration:
The death of one who was eligible for Social Securityand/or
Medicare must be reported to the Social Security Administration during business
hours at 1-800-772-1213. Click on Useful Links to visit either the SSA
or Medicare web sites for more information.
Records, Keys, Combinations, and Passwords:
Those who have not served as an executor of an estate may
(probably will) be surprised to discover how difficult it can be to know when
the initial stage of collecting critical information has been completed. There
are numerous sources that provide lists that can prompt individuals to assemble
these details in a timely way, but the comments below may trigger some
additional ideas. You may find the links to Senior Law and Consumer Information to be helpful avenues for developing your details. It is
unlikely that anyone is so thoroughly organized to attend to all that needs
doing, but whatever you can do will enhance your successors’ memories of you.
The first requirement: Where are the repositories of
documents or valuables located and where are the keys, passwords, and/or
combinations necessary to gain access? This includes not just the safe deposit
box and/or the home file cabinet, but access to computer records (and which
hardware/software can read which files?), and Palm or PDA files.
The second requirement: What documents is the executor
looking for in those locations? Are some of them kept only for historical
purposes and no longer relevant, or is there someone that you would like to have
them?
The third requirement: What other tasks must be done and
where may the information be found to complete them? Do you still have UIUC
equipment on loan or in your old office? If so, what should be done to deal
with that? Do you have a list of all those credit cards, memberships, and
subscriptions that need to be notified and closed? Are you aware that many
magazines and organizations will rebate part of unused dues and subscriptions?
Where are all the auxiliary parts and instructions for your collection of
electronic devices?
The fourth requirement: Information that is obvious to some
may be very obscure for others. For example, who do you deal with to care for
your shelter, pets, plants, vehicles? Where is the primary address book or
e-mail nickname file or holiday card list of people that should be notified at
the time of your passing. Who should be contacted to take your place in each of
your volunteer activities? Many of these will be nearly automatic, but some,
such as the elderly neighbor you look in on or handling the organization of the
seasonal neighborhood yard waste collection may warrant a note for the files.
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