I'm in a weird spot here due to my Mom suddenly going from healthy to hospice in three weeks. There is no Will, since I'm the only heir, so we never though that was needed (She's 68 as of Feb 3). One wish she had was that when she died, she wanted to donate her brain and spinal column to MS research and be cremated. I've gotten this setup, but at a cost of $2100. I don't have that money, but Mom does in her checking account. I've transferred all of her checking acct to mine and set it aside, since I know that once she dies, the bank acct will be closed for a while, and I'll need the money now, but I'm also afraid I may have committed fraud in doing so, especially since she had around $4000 in there and she also has several thousand in credit card bills. Does anyone here know what should be done or if I've inadvertently broken the law? I already have enough to worry about with worrying about this as well.
A couple more things. I could've sworn I became durable power of attorney at some point, but am unable to find any references to it. The acct is under her name, as is the credit card. We are located in Kansas, so I don't know if those local laws have anything to do with it. If I can only take out the $2100, so be it, but there are going to be several more costs associated with her sudden death, including clearing out her old place and the such. My final question has to do with how I did it. Doing it through the bank would've taken several days, so I opened up a Paypal acct and transferred the money that way. Doing it that way really worried me, but it was the only way I could be sure I'd get the money in time. I still have all the money if need be.
Also, I should point out that she can't really communicate anymore and the doctor's estimate that at this point, she probably only has a couple of days left.
I would suggest you make an appointment with an Elder Law Attorney who will recommend the different steps that you need to take. It may take just one or two appointments to get all of Mom's ducks in a row. And to give you peace of mind when it comes to her financials.
So sorry you and your Mom are going through this journey so quickly.