Legislation
SECTION 226
Guide to actions when someone close dies
Elder (ELD) CHAPTER 35-A, ARTICLE 2, TITLE 1
§ 226. Guide to actions when someone close dies. 1. The office shall
publish a "Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies". This guide shall
be made publicly available on the official website of the office and the
office may produce a paper format within one year of the effective date
of this section.
2. The guide shall provide information in at least the following
domains:
(a) Economic security, including but not limited to, pensions, social
security, life insurance, health insurance, death benefits as well as
tax implications of a death.
(b) Legal, including how to access death certificates, wills, trust
documents and other legal information needed to plan for the future.
(c) Mental health assistance, including information on the grieving
process, triggers and symptoms associated with grief, effective coping
strategies, the impact on family dynamics in relation to the loss of
someone close, and other mental health concerns correlated with grief.
(d) Disposition of remains including funeral and service arrangements
and burials. This information shall include average costs by region and
refer to the resources provided by the department of health's bureau of
funeral directing.
(e) Other information as determined by the office in consultation with
the special advisory committee established pursuant to this section.
3. The director shall establish a special advisory committee to help
fulfill the requirements of this section. The committee shall be
temporary and dissolve thirty days after the guide is posted and
distributed. The members of the special advisory committee shall receive
no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for actual
and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, to
the extent funds are appropriated for such purpose. The committee shall
contain representatives from the following professions as well as any
state agency representatives that are needed at the discretion of the
director:
(a) Funeral directors;
(b) Cemeteries;
(c) Mental health professionals with specific knowledge of grief
counseling;
(d) Attorneys specialized in estate planning, including the New York
state bar association; and
(e) Clergy.
publish a "Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies". This guide shall
be made publicly available on the official website of the office and the
office may produce a paper format within one year of the effective date
of this section.
2. The guide shall provide information in at least the following
domains:
(a) Economic security, including but not limited to, pensions, social
security, life insurance, health insurance, death benefits as well as
tax implications of a death.
(b) Legal, including how to access death certificates, wills, trust
documents and other legal information needed to plan for the future.
(c) Mental health assistance, including information on the grieving
process, triggers and symptoms associated with grief, effective coping
strategies, the impact on family dynamics in relation to the loss of
someone close, and other mental health concerns correlated with grief.
(d) Disposition of remains including funeral and service arrangements
and burials. This information shall include average costs by region and
refer to the resources provided by the department of health's bureau of
funeral directing.
(e) Other information as determined by the office in consultation with
the special advisory committee established pursuant to this section.
3. The director shall establish a special advisory committee to help
fulfill the requirements of this section. The committee shall be
temporary and dissolve thirty days after the guide is posted and
distributed. The members of the special advisory committee shall receive
no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for actual
and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, to
the extent funds are appropriated for such purpose. The committee shall
contain representatives from the following professions as well as any
state agency representatives that are needed at the discretion of the
director:
(a) Funeral directors;
(b) Cemeteries;
(c) Mental health professionals with specific knowledge of grief
counseling;
(d) Attorneys specialized in estate planning, including the New York
state bar association; and
(e) Clergy.