Funeral homes are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

859-727-1250

Caring for Their Legacy: Navigating Life’s Next Chapter

After the funeral, it’s important to manage various post-funeral matters to ensure a smooth transition during this difficult time. This may include settling financial obligations, such as paying for funeral expenses and addressing any outstanding debts or bills of the deceased. Additionally, managing the estate may involve organizing paperwork, communicating with insurance companies, and handling matters related to the will.

This can also be a good time to gather and share memories with loved ones, providing emotional support as everyone navigates their grief. Taking these steps can help honor the memory of the loved one while ensuring that all necessary affairs are in order.

Here is a list of considerations to keep in mind after the passing of your loved ones.

  • Notify your attorney. If the deceased has an estate, that estate must go through probate court to distribute assets. Please contact your attorney for detailed information.
  • Notify your financial advisor
  • Notify life insurance companies (Linnemann Funeral Home can assist you)
  • Notify financial institutions about accounts
  • Contact mortgage company
  • Contact credit card companies
  • Contact employer to notify associates and inquire about benefits
  • Contact health care providers
  • Contact auto insurance company
  • Contact auto loan/ lease company
  • Contact utility companies
  • Contact service providers (cable TV, lawn care, pest control, etc.)
  • Cancel or change periodical (i.e. magazines) subscriptions
  • Cancel memberships
  • Purchase a marker for grave
    (Linnemann Funeral Home can assist you)
  • Join a grief support group
    (Linnemann Funeral Home can assist you)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Social Security

Once our funeral home has received all biographical information for the deceased, we notify Social Security via Form SSA-721.

Local Office: 7 Youell Street Florence, KY 41042, phone (859) 282-7324

Survivors Benefits:

      • Children may qualify for dependents or survivors benefits if they are:
        Under age 18, or 18-19 years old and full-time high school students, or 18 or older and disabled.
        The disability must have started before age 22.
      • Husbands and Wives may qualify for dependents benefits if they are:
        62 or older, or Any age and caring for the worker’s child(ren) who are under age 17 or disabled,
        or 62 years or older and divorced from the worker, if the marriage had lasted 10 or more years
      • Widows and Widowers may be eligible for benefits if they are:
        60 or older, or Any age and caring for the worker’s children who are under age 16 or disabled,
        or 60 or older, disabled, and divorced (and meet the 10-years of marriage requirement) or widowed

Parents aged 62 or older, who were being supported by the worker, may be eligible for dependents
benefits. Benefits paid to a former spouse do not reduce the amount payable to the family. However,
marriage and divorce may affect a person’s eligibility for family benefits.

You can get an estimate of your Social Security benefits and those of your family by calling Social Security’s toll free number 1-800-772-1213 and asking for a form SSA-7004. The estimates will include the benefits you can expect at retirement or if you become disabled and unable to work. It also shows what your family can expect if you retire, become disabled or die.

Social Security Benefits are paid for the prior month. The recipient must have lived for the entire month to be eligible for this benefit. Social Security advises that upon receipt of a check, in a case where recipient has not lived every day of the month, that the deceased’s name be written on the envelope along with the Date of Death and that the check be returned to the Post Office.

In all cases, the next of kin is advised to contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213,
business days between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Where there is a surviving spouse, inquire about the Social
Security Lump Sum death benefit of $255.00.

Directions to the Social Security office are as follows. Take the Florence/ Union exit (exit 180) off I-71/75 North. Turn right onto US 42. Turn left onto Main Street. Turn right onto Youell Street.

DEATH CERTIFICATES

Linnemann Funeral Home will electronically submit the death certificate to the physician or Coroner in
charge. The physician has 5 days from the time he/she receives the certificate to fill in the section relating to the cause of death and the coroner’s office can take longer due to obtaining medical records/reports. The physician or coroner will then electronically sign and submit the death certificate to the Office of Vital Statistics in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Office of Vital Statistics will approve the death certificate and process the order for the number of death certificates requested and mail them to Linnemann Funeral Home. The cost for certified copies is $6.00 each in Kentucky with a one-time processing fee of $2.00. Ohio Certified copies vary according to the county of death. The average time of processing the death certificates from the date the information is entered into the KY-EDRS electronic system to receipt of the certified copies is two to three weeks, although it has been known to take up to four or more weeks due to circumstances.

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION BENEFITS

Honorably discharged veterans are entitled to the following benefits, which are customarily supplied by the Veterans Administration.

Burial Flag: The V.A. will issue an American flag to drape the casket of an eligible veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Headstones or Markers: V.A. will furnish, upon request, a headstone or marker to be placed at the unmarked grave of a veteran whose last discharge was other than dishonorable.

Interment in National Cemeteries: The V.A. operates the National Cemetery system. The interment of a deceased veteran of wartime or peacetime service whose service terminated other than dishonorably, or the spouse, surviving spouse or minor children of an eligible veteran, will be authorized in any cemetery in which space is available. There is no charge for the grave in a national cemetery. Cemetery employees will open and close the grave, and provide a vault (if necessary). A headstone or marker with appropriate inscription for each deceased buried in a grave will be provided by the U.S Government.

Reimbursement of Burial Expenses: The V.A. will pay a $300 burial and funeral expense allowance for deceased veterans who were, at the time of death, entitled to receive pension or compensation, or would have been entitled to receive compensation for the receipt of military retired pay. Eligibility is also established when death occurs in a Veterans Administration facility or in a contract nursing home to which the deceased was properly admitted.

In addition, the V.A. will pay a $150 plot or interment allowance, if the requirements for the burial allowance are met. The plot allowance is not payable if the veteran is buried in a national cemetery. For veterans who die of a service connected disability, the V.A. will pay a burial allowance up to $1,100.00 in lieu of other burial benefits.

LIFE INSURANCE PROCESSING

We will be pleased to assist you in filing for life insurance proceeds. Please consult us for assistance.

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BENEFITS

We will be pleased to assist you in filing for Railroad retirement Benefits. Please consult us for assistance.

FUNERAL HOME STATEMENT

Cash Advanced Items: Cash advanced items are other vendors’ charges that the funeral home offers to pay for at the time of the funeral for the family’s convenience. These charges are payable at the time the funeral arrangements are made.

FUNERAL VISITATION/ SERVICE/ FLOWERS

Your funeral director will be happy to deliver any and all flower pieces to a local residence, hospital, nursing home, or other agency or institution within the immediate Northern Kentucky area. Please arrange a time for delivery of the flowers with your funeral director.

DECEASED PERSONAL AFFECTS

All deceased personal affects that are found and inventoried at the time of removal of the deceased from the hospital, nursing home, or residence are returned to the next of kin or can be delivered to any agency or person the next of kin desires.

OBITUARIES

Linnemann Funeral Homes will submit information to the local newspapers for obituary notices.
Paid death notices can be written by the family and should be run exactly as they are submitted by
the designated publication(s). It is at the discretion of the publication to choose which obituaries
become feature articles.

GRIEF

The feelings of grief wear many faces: shock, anger, remorse, relief, sorrow, and many others. All
of them are normal. Experts agree sharing them is the best way to survive them. In these early hours,
let your self cry, shout, or talk them out as much as possible.

If you have children of any age, tell them the truth as simply as you can, as soon as you can, then
hold them and let your sorrows be shared. The truth will never hurt as deep or as long as a lie.

Medications: except when prescribed for a physical condition or illness, avoid sedatives and similar medications. Their artificial numbness may only complicate your natural ability to cope.

Linnemann Funeral Homes offer grief support programs for children, teenagers, young adults,
and older adults. Please contact us at (859) 710-1825 or visit www.linnemannfuneralhomes.com
for more information.

Please follow us on Facebook