Requires the state office for the aging to publish a "Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies"

New York guide for steps after a death

The New York State Office for the Aging must publish a Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies. It is posted on the office website and also available in paper within one year of the law’s effective date. The guide covers money issues like pensions, Social Security, taxes, life and health insurance, and death benefits. It explains legal steps like getting death certificates, wills, and trust papers, and offers grief and mental health support. It also covers funeral plans and includes average regional funeral costs from the state’s funeral directing bureau. A temporary advisory committee of funeral and cemetery leaders, grief counselors, estate-planning lawyers, and clergy helps build the guide, then ends 30 days after the guide is posted and shared. Members can be repaid for necessary expenses only if funds are appropriated.