These legal and financial experts are helping Covid-19-hit families find their feet again

Legal and financial paperwork is a burden for families that are trying to pick up their lives after suddenly losing loved ones to Covid-19. Some experts are holding their hand, at no cost, through the process of understanding wills, property, and more. They share experiences and advice

While experiencing the grief of unexpectedly losing a loved one, how does a family even begin to think about questions of legal and financial security? 

Those bereaved by the pandemic are often left with the added struggle of paperwork. They must quickly understand their financial strengths and weaknesses after a family member who may have been managing their assets and liabilities suddenly passes away. Addressing an absence of wills to avoid property disputes which may arise in the future is another task. Having heard urgent pleas for help in such matters, some legal and financial experts have signed up to offer free assistance. 
While some of the volunteers are experts in their field who are accessing their networks, others have launched initiatives because they understand the problems of those who are grieving, based on personal experiences. City-based brand marketing professional Farhin Khan is one among them. Although not an expert in either finance or legal aid, she put out a call asking experts to come forward and give pro-bono guidance.

The response was slow initially but Khan says the initiative — christened Helping Hands — has now started to take shape with as many as 200 volunteers. “It came from a simple place because I remember my father losing his father early and he did not have any kind of help to know how much money he had or the kind of assets he had,” says Khan, who has been working towards building this network through a website. “While the volunteer list is building, there are others who are reaching out to me who want to help me for free with building a website and many other such tasks. It is encouraging to see people coming together to help those who are in need.”  

She intends to have proper FAQ-style information for those who are looking for help but do not have the time to get in touch with somebody too. For Khan, this started out as a pet project due to the Covid-19 pandemic but she intends to build a resource that is helpful even beyond it. 

City-based financial advisor Harshavardhan Roongta, who runs his own firm in Fort, is also a part of a group which helps those looking for financial advice. It stemmed from a tweet put out by an active media professional on Twitter. “I have received only one query till now, as we are quite a few of us who are volunteering. I helped a 22-year-old man who lost his father. He wanted to know how he and his mother could better figure out their finances, which was handled by the father. It included knowing their liabilities and assets and how they could invest the money they have and get a regular income out of it.”  

Those who are grieving have to figure out not only the financial side of things but also address legal aspects such as wills, which in many cases were not made due to untimely deaths. Ajay Kumar, a city-based advocate, has put together a list which started out as a Facebook post by him. Many lawyers in his circle have volunteered to help individuals pro-bono and lessen their troubles. “I get as many as 2-3 calls a day, after I posted this a little over a week ago, so I have addressed at least 30 queries by now. These calls are also usually from the whole of India, so I help if I can personally but since I am in Mumbai, I connect them to people who are able to help them in their city as it will be easier.”  

Assistance during bereavement is a top priority but there are also many people reaching out because they have been scammed in these difficult times while trying to buy oxygen cylinders and medicines. “I regularly receive calls from people who have been scammed while purchasing oxygen cylinders. They want me to help them file a complaint and register a case for them. The others are from people who are in hospitals, and are looking to put together their assets in the form of a will for their family members.”  

Borivali-based Futurewise Technologies (IFANOW) also leverages its network of financial advisors who use their software to help all those who require assistance free of charge. “We started this a little over 10 days ago and received a good response initially but it has slowed down now a little. However, we have received good feedback from the concerned people that their problems have been solved successfully so we intend to keep doing it,” says Ronak Hindocha, founder and CEO. Hindocha adds that most of queries from people have been about how to claim term insurance after their loved one has passed away due to Covid-19, how to claim Public Provident Fund (PPF), and even how to get important information from their email accounts which could help in managing money better.  

Here are some measures to take after losing a person in your family to Covid-19, as recommended by advocate Ajay Kumar, who specialises in civil and criminal law: 
 
Claim medical and life insurance  
If a family member has died due to Covid-19, the family needs to first claim the medical insurance from the insurer. More often than not, if you had pre-authorisation prior to hospitalisation this won't be an issue, but in case you are claiming reimbursement you should make sure you claim it within time. 

it will already be covered for all those who are in the hospitals, so the family member only needs to claim it before the end of term.  
 
Matters of property  
If the family members need to simplify the property matters, they will have to work on getting the property papers in place. If needed, file necessary probate/letters of administration petitions/succession certificate petitions with the Bombay High Court.  
 
Employee claims  
If the person who has succumbed to Covid-19 is the employee of any company, the family needs to inform the employer about the untimely demise of their family member. They will also need to claim the last earned salary and gratuity if applicable. The family will also need to start the process of obtaining the provident fund and see if the employee is eligible for any death benefit and claim them. The family should also look to file their income tax in the financial year.  
 
Make Aadhar card  
If the survivors have no Aadhar Card, it is ideal that the document should be made as it will make all processes to help move forward after the family member has died due to Covid-19. 
 
Access to bank accounts  
The family members should also inform the bank of about the death of the loved one, and to get access to the bank accounts must share the details to carry out the processes. The bank may ask for probate/succession certificate/letters of administration from the family. 

Some resources: 
Helping Hands Project:
If you would like to volunteer: https://bit.ly/HelpingHandVolunteer

For families/individuals seeking financial or legal advice: https://bit.ly/HelpingHandProject

Futurewise Technologies IFANOW helpline:
Call 70459 43631 or WhatsApp “HELP” to 70459 43631

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