Individual account beneficiaries are transferred funds upon an account holder’s death. They do not have access to account activities; they simply receive the balance of the account. If no payable-on-death beneficiary exists, the funds must go through probate, or the official proving of a will, before being transferred to anyone.
States have different requirements for the length of time records must be saved by a physician. If documents are available, the personal representative or executor for the estate, chosen by the deceased, has the right to access personal medical records. If a person dies without a will, most states recognize their nearest surviving relative as their personal representative or executor.
Contracts are commonly voided after one party dies. The proceedings depend on the type of contract. For instance, if the deceased was in a long-term lease, their estate is still responsible for the remainder of the lease. Private student loans are not discharged, but federal student loans are.
Contracts are commonly voided after one party dies. The proceedings depend on the type of contract. For instance, if the deceased was in a long-term lease, their estate is still responsible for the remainder of the lease. Private student loans are not discharged, but federal student loans are.
Access to email accounts varies by provider. Yahoo, for instance, has terms and conditions that state neither the Yahoo account, nor any of the content therein, is transferable, even when the account owner is deceased.
Google has recently established a new feature called “inactive account manager,” which prompts users to decide the fate of their accounts should they die. If the account user does not make a selection, Google’s policies are pretty strict. It warns survivors that obtaining access to a deceased person’s email account will be possible only in rare cases.
Instagram allows you to either memorialize or remove a deceased person’s account. The request has to be made by an immediate family member. Memorialized accounts cannot be modified or logged in to, but allow posts the deceased person shared to stay visible to the audience they were shared with.
Facebook also has two options. First, the site enables profiles to be turned into memorials. The account is locked, but other users can still interact with the deceased’s profile by posting comments, photos and links. The other option is to remove the account upon special request by an immediate family member or executor.
Twitter allows a person who is authorized to act on behalf of an estate, or a verified immediate family member, to deactivate an account. They do not provide account access to anyone regardless of their relationship to the deceased.
LinkedIn requests a variety of documentation to review before removing a deceased person's profile.
In the US, only the executor is allowed access to a deceased person's computer and devices.
