Alabama Survivor Benefits Checklist: Everything to File After a Death

The first week after a death in Alabama feels impossibly full. Between the funeral home, the family, and the immediate logistics, no one is thinking about benefit applications. But many of those applications have strict deadlines — some as short as 10 days — and missing them can mean losing benefits permanently.

This checklist is not meant to be completed all at once. It is organized by urgency so you can address what must happen immediately without letting the longer-term claims fall through the cracks.

First: Gather the Documents You Will Need Everywhere

Every benefit program in Alabama will ask for some version of the same core documents. Gathering them once, in the right quantities, prevents weeks of repeated requests to state agencies and vital records offices.

Death certificates: Order 10 to 15 certified original copies with raised seals. The Social Security Administration, the Retirement Systems of Alabama, probate courts, financial institutions, life insurance companies, and the VA all require certified originals — not photocopies. Order them through the funeral home or directly from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Other documents to locate now:

• Marriage certificate (certified copy) — required by SSA, RSA, and any pension survivor claim
• Divorce decrees (if applicable) — the SSA requires these for divorced spouse survivor claims
• Birth certificates for the deceased, surviving spouse, and all dependent children
• Social Security numbers for the deceased and all claimants
• DD Form 214 (military service record) — if the deceased served in the military, this is mandatory for all VA claims and the Alabama GI Dependent Scholarship
• Most recent W-2 forms or self-employment tax returns — required by SSA
• RSA Form 100 (Beneficiary Information Record) — if the deceased was a state employee or teacher, this form on file with RSA determines what survivor options are available

Within 10 Days: Public Assistance Reporting

These deadlines are the shortest in the process — and the consequences of missing them are immediate.

SNAP / TANF: If any member of the household was enrolled in SNAP or TANF benefits through the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), report the death to your local DHR office by the 10th day of the month following the death. Continuing to use the deceased person's EBT card after their death is classified as intentional program violation and fraud. Alabama's quality assurance systems actively monitor for this.

Alabama Medicaid: If the deceased was a Medicaid recipient, notify the Alabama Medicaid Agency within 10 days using Form 295 (Recipient Changes) or by contacting your local Medicaid District Office. Failure to report can terminate Medicaid benefits for surviving household members and create repayment obligations.

Within 30 Days: Employer and Pension Notifications

Employer HR department: Contact the deceased's employer immediately to:

• Process the final paycheck (under Alabama Code § 43-8-115, an employer can pay a surviving spouse directly without waiting for probate)
• Review whether any accrued vacation or sick time is owed
• Initiate employer-sponsored life insurance claims
• Notify the COBRA administrator of the employee's death — the employer has 30 days to notify the COBRA administrator, triggering the process that extends health coverage to enrolled dependents

Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA): If the deceased was an active ERS or TRS member, contact the RSA promptly to:

• Submit Form RSA-SB (Application for Survivor Benefit) with a certified death certificate
• Determine whether the deceased was eligible to retire at the time of death — this determines whether a monthly survivor annuity or lump-sum payout is available
• Confirm what beneficiary designation is on file (RSA Form 100) — this cannot be changed after the death

Medicaid Estate Notice: If you are opening probate or filing a small estate, you must provide formal notice to the Alabama Medicaid Agency's Estate Notice Office within 30 days of commencing the proceeding. This applies even to small estate summary distributions.

Within 60 to 90 Days: Federal Benefit Applications

Social Security Administration: Contact the SSA to report the death and apply for survivor benefits. A funeral director can report the death, but you must initiate the benefit claim separately. Key applications:

• SSA Form 10 — widow or widower survivor benefits
• SSA Form 5 — if you are caring for the deceased's child under 16 or a disabled child

Also apply for the $255 lump-sum death payment — it is small but must be specifically claimed within two years.

Veterans Affairs: If the deceased served in the military:

• File VA Form 21P-530EZ for burial and plot allowance (within two years for non-service-connected deaths)
• File VA Form 21P-534EZ for DIC (Dependency and Indemnity Compensation) or Survivors Pension — do not use the burial form for these ongoing benefits
• Contact your County Veterans Service Office (VSO) through the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs — accredited VSOs assist at no cost and access federal VA systems directly

Within One Year: Occupational and Crime-Related Death Claims

Workers' compensation death benefits: If the death was work-related, confirm the employer has filed WC Forms 3 and 4 with the ADOL and is making the required weekly dependent payments. The employer is also required to pay up to $6,500 in burial expenses. Contact the ADOL Workers' Compensation Division if the employer is not compliant.

Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission (ACVCC): If the death resulted from a violent crime, file within one year of the incident. The ACVCC pays up to $5,000 toward funeral costs and up to $400/week for 26 weeks for lost wages. File early — documentation (police reports, death certificates) takes time to assemble.

State Board of Adjustment (first responders): If the deceased was a peace officer, firefighter, coroner, or related first responder killed in the line of duty, file the Death Benefit Claim Form within one year of the death. The $100,000 line-of-duty benefit has no exceptions to this deadline.

No Immediate Deadline: Asset Recovery

These do not expire, but delay costs time and may complicate estate administration.

Life insurance: Search for unknown policies using the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator (free at the NAIC website). Also check the Alabama Unclaimed Property database for proceeds that were never claimed.

Unclaimed property: Search alabama.findyourunclaimedproperty.com and missingmoney.com for dormant accounts, uncashed checks, and forgotten insurance proceeds.

IRS tax refund: If the deceased is owed a federal tax refund, use IRS Form 1310 if you are not the surviving spouse filing jointly or a court-appointed personal representative.

Alabama unclaimed wages: If the deceased was owed back wages from a former employer, search the ADOL's Workers Owed Wages (WOW) application and file Form WH-60.

Using This Checklist With the Full Navigator

This checklist covers the sequencing and deadlines. The Alabama Survivor Benefits Navigator goes further — it provides the specific form numbers, the exact documents each agency requires, the dollar amounts you should expect from each program, and a step-by-step tracker you can work through at your own pace.

Benefit programs in Alabama rarely communicate with each other. No agency will tell you what the others offer. The result is that families who do not know to look for every benefit often leave thousands of dollars — sometimes tens of thousands — unclaimed. This checklist is the starting point for making sure that does not happen.

The deadlines above are not suggestions. The SNAP reporting deadline, the Medicaid estate notice, the crime victims' filing window, and the first responder death benefit deadline are all statutory. Missing them forfeits the benefit. Start with the immediate deadlines, gather the core documents in volume, and work through the list at a pace that is sustainable — but do not let the first few weeks go by without addressing the items with real time pressure.

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