A 3939: Requires the state office for the aging to publish a "Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies"; establishes a temporary special advisory committee to create and publish such guide.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3939 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Aging AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to publishing a guide to actions when someone close dies The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The elder law is amended by adding a new section 226 to 2 read as follows: 3 § 226. Guide to actions when someone close dies. 1. The office shall 4 publish a "Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies". This guide shall 5 be available on the official website of the office as well as in paper 6 format. 7 2. The guide shall provide information in at least the following 8 domains: 9 (a) Economic security, including but not limited to, pensions, social 10 security, life insurance, health insurance, death benefits as well as 11 tax implications of a death. 12 (b) Legal, including how to access death certificates, wills, trust 13 documents and other legal information needed to plan for the future. 14 (c) Mental health assistance, including information on grief, family 15 dynamics, loss and other mental health concerns. 16 (d) Disposition of remains including funeral and service arrangements 17 and burials. This information shall include average costs by region. 18 (e) Other information as determined by the office in consultation with 19 the special advisory committee established pursuant to this section. 20 3. The director shall establish a special advisory committee to help 21 fulfill the requirements of this section. The committee shall be tempo- 22 rary and dissolve thirty days after the guide is posted and distributed. 23 The committee shall contain representatives from the following 24 professions as well as any state agency representatives that are needed 25 at the discretion of the director: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04492-02-5 
 A. 3939 2 1 (a) Funeral directors; 2 (b) Cemeteries; 3 (c) Mental health professionals with specific knowledge of grief; 4 (d) Attorneys including the New York state bar association; and 5 (e) Clergy. 6 4. The "Guide to Actions When Someone Close Dies" shall be posted and 7 distributed within one year of the effective date of this section. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.