As part of your duties as the estate executor, you will need to collect any employee benefits or death benefits that the decedent may have been eligible for. Such benefits may include retirement accounts, COBRA health benefits, or even reimbursement for any unpaid salary or vacation time. It may be wise to even contact many former employers and not just the most recent because there may be other benefits that could be uncovered.

You must formally contact the decedent's former employer(s), generally with a letter. You should be able to find any beneficiary designations that detail who receives the benefits on file with the employer. The employer will most likely require one certified copy of the death certificate.

Consider contacting a knowledgeable Estate Administration Attorney. Their offices may already have prepared letters of inquiry specifically drafted for obtaining benefit information for any decedent's former employers.

*This blog entry was not written by an Attorney and should not be constituted as professional legal advice.