Contacts to help you make final arrangements
Gift of Hope - Organ & Tissue Registry for Transplant in Illinois
www.giftofhope.org
The Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is proud to serve as the federally designated not-for-profit agency that coordinates organ and tissue donations and supports families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana.
Secretary of State - Illinois - Jesse White
The Secretary of State office in Illinois works closely with Gift of Hope by providing people the opportunity to register as a donor with the State. You can do this online or at any of your local Secretary of State Driver Services facilities.
http://www.lifegoeson.com/
http://www.ilsos.gov
Death Certificate Information the State of Illinois
Illinois Department of Public Health
605 West Jefferson Street
Springfield, Illinois 62702-5097
(800) 547-0466
www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/index.htm
One of the most important documents you need to settle the affairs of your loved one is a certified death certificate. The death certificate is the official legal record of death. Insurance companies, the Social Security Administration, banks, financial institutions and other agencies may request certified copies of the death certificate as proof of death. Certified copies are printed on paper that cannot be easily duplicated and there is a fee for each additional copy. Illinois has a wide variety of costs for death certificates. Cost ranges are different depending on the city and county where the death occurred. Following the death, our staff will inform the family of the costs of certified death certificates.
Social Security Information - Illinois
The funeral home or organization handling the filling of the death certificate will file form SSA-721 or a "Statement of Death." You must contact a local Social Security Office to file for the lump sum death benefit, if applicable. Social Security currently pays $255.00 to the surviving spouse as a death benefit. This is a one time payment. If monthly benefits were being paid via direct deposit, it is important to notify the bank accepting those deposits and request that any funds received for the month of death and beyond be returned to Social Security as soon as possible. If these benefits were paid via a monthly check return them to Social Security as soon as possible. Do not cash the checks or you may be responsible for repayment.
If you are receiving disability or retirement benefits on your spouse's record when he or she dies, the Social Security Administration will change your payments to survivor benefits. If you are receiving benefits on your own record, you may apply for survivor benefits. Contact the Social Security Administration to determine if you can receive better benefits as a widow or widower. Benefits for your children, if applicable, will be changed automatically to survivor benefits following the report of death to that office.
Illinois has multiple social security offices. Please visit the link below to find the office nearest you. Please do not send social security numbers or claims information over the internet or email since it is not a secure environment. Those questions should be directed to the Social Security Administration's toll free service at (800) 772-1213 or toll free TDD service at (800) 325-0778 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:p.m. on normal business days.
Click on the link below to find the Office nearest you
http://www.ssa.gov/chicago/illinois.htm
Internal Revenue Service
Federal
Internal Revenue Service
http://www.irs.gov
(602) 207-8031
State of illinois
Illinois Department of Revenue
http://www.revenue.state.il.us/
The Internal Revenue Service offers several free pamphlets that may be helpful including, "Survivors, Executors and Administrotors", Publication #559 and "introduction to Estate and Gift Taxes", publication #950. The websites above are a wonderful reference guide to all the forms that the Internal Revenue Service provides. The forms can be downloaded onto your computer or you can request them over the phone for them to be sent to your residence.
Veterans Administration
http://www.state.il.us/agency/dva/
Springfield Office
Illinois Department of Veteran's Affairs
833 South Spring Street
P.O. Box 19432
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9432
(217) 782-6641 - Phone
(217) 524-0344 - Fax
Chicago Office
Illinois Department of Veteran's Affairs
JRTC
100 West Randolph, Suite 5-570
Chicago, Illinois 60601-3219
(312) 814-2460 - Phone
(312) 814-2764 - Fax
National Memorial Cemeteries
http://www.cem.va.gov
All honorably discharged veterans are entitled to a grave, minimum vault and marker at a Veteran's National Cemetery. Space is also available for cremated remains in some cases. Additional benefits may apply if the death occured in a VA facility or if the veteran is under special VA care. When you or your family wishes to utilize any portion of the VA benefits, it wise and time saving to have a copy of the veterans discharge papers (form DD214). If you are unable to locate the document, you may contact:
The National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
(866) 272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records
