Essential Checklist for Lincoln National Employees Navigating the Loss of a Loved One

Healthcare Provider Update: Healthcare Provider for Lincoln National: Lincoln National Corporation does not directly provide healthcare services. Instead, it operates as a financial services company that offers various insurance and investment solutions. For healthcare coverage, Lincoln National collaborates with health insurance providers like Aetna for its employee benefits and health-related products. Potential Healthcare Cost Increases in 2026: Healthcare costs are projected to rise significantly in 2026, driven by factors such as inflation in medical care and large anticipated increases from major insurers. Premiums for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans could soar by over 20% on average, with some states facing hikes that exceed 60%. The potential expiration of enhanced premium subsidies will further exacerbate the situation, leading to a staggering increase of over 75% in out-of-pocket costs for many enrollees. As a result, consumers will need to navigate these challenges carefully, focusing on proactive strategies to manage their healthcare expenses effectively. Click here to learn more

If Your Loved One Was A Veteran, You May Be Eligible For Burial And Memorial Benefits. Call 1-800-827-1000 To Find The Nearest VA Regional Office.

Losing a loved one can be a difficult experience. Yet, during this time, you must complete a variety of tasks and make important financial decisions. You may need to make final arrangements, notify various businesses and government agencies, settle the individual's estate, and provide for your own financial security. The following checklist may help guide our Lincoln National clients through the matters that must be attended to upon the death of a family member.

Note:  Some of the following tasks may have to be completed by the estate's executor.

Initial Tasks

• Upon the death of your loved one, call close family members, friends, and clergy first because you'll need their emotional support.
• Arrange the funeral, burial or cremation, and memorial service. Hopefully, your loved one will have made arrangements ahead of time. Look among his or her papers for a letter of instruction containing final wishes. Such instructions may also be stated in his or her will or other estate planning documents. Arrange any cultural rituals, and make any anatomical gifts.
• Notify family and friends of the final arrangements.
• Alert your loved one's place of work, union, professional organizations, and any organizations where he or she may have volunteered.
• Contact Lincoln National and arrange for bereavement leave.
• Place an obituary in the local paper.
• Obtain certified copies of the death certificate. The family doctor or medical examiner should provide you with the death certificate within 24 hours of the death. The funeral home should complete the form and file it with the state. Get several certified copies (photocopies may not be accepted); you will need them when applying for benefits and settling the estate.
• Review your family member's financial affairs, and look for estate planning documents, such as a will and trusts, and other relevant documents, such as deeds and titles. We also suggest that these Lincoln National clients locate any marriage certificate, birth or adoption certificates of children, and military discharge papers, which you may need to apply for benefits. These documents may be found in a safe-deposit box, or your loved one's attorney may have copies.

• Make a list of assets. Put safeguards in place to protect any property. Make sure mortgage and insurance payments continue to be made while the estate is being settled.
• Arrange to retrieve your loved one's belongings from his or her workplace. Collect any salary, vacation, or sick pay owed to your loved one, and be sure to ask about continuing health insurance coverage and potential survivor's benefits for a spouse or children. Unions and professional organizations may also offer death benefits. If the death was work-related, the estate or beneficiaries may be entitled to worker's compensation benefits.
• Contact past employers regarding pension plans, and contact any IRA custodians or trustees. Review designated beneficiaries and post-death distribution options.

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Within 3 to 9 Months after Death

• File the will with the appropriate probate court. If real estate was owned out of state, file ancillary probate in that state also. If there is no will, contact the probate court for instructions, or contact a probate attorney for assistance.
• Notify creditors by mail and by placing a notice in the newspaper. Claims must be made within the statute of limitations, which varies from state to state (30 days from the actual notice is common). Insist upon proof of all claims.
• A federal estate tax return may need to be filed within 9 months of death. State laws vary, but state estate tax and/or inheritance tax returns may also need to be filed. Federal and state income taxes are due for the year of death on the normal filing date unless an extension is requested. If there are trusts, separate income tax returns may need to be filed. These Lincoln National clients may want to seek the advice of a tax professional.

Within 9 to 12 Months after Death

• Update your own estate plan if your loved one was a beneficiary or appointed as an agent, trustee, or guardian.
• Update beneficiary designations on your retirement plans, including IRAs, and transfer-on-death accounts on which your loved one was named beneficiary.
• Reevaluate your budget and short-term and long-term finances.
• Reevaluate your insurance needs, and update beneficiary designations on insurance policies on which your loved one was the named beneficiary.
• Reevaluate investment options.