You can notify the Department of Healthcare Services, Estate Recovery Unit of a Medi-Cal beneficiary’s death online. California law, under Probate Code §215, requires that, when a deceased person has received or may have received health care benefits or was the surviving spouse of a person who received such benefits, the estate attorney, the beneficiary of the estate, the personal representative or the person in possession of the property is required to notify the Director of the Department (at the Sacramento office of DHS) no later than 90 days after the person’s death. A copy of the death certificate is required to be sent. (See CANHR’s FAQ on Medi-Cal Recovery)
The Medi-Cal estate recovery program maintains an on-line forms page where notification can be submitted online with an electronic attachment of the death certificate. Submitting the form with the attached certificate will satisfy reporting requirements by state law. The form will also ask additional questions to find out what property, if any, is left in the deceased beneficiary’s estate. If there was no property left in the deceased’s name, then completion of the form should be an easy matter. If the estate is more complicated, then consumers should seek advice from their attorney, legal services or CANHR before completing the online form.
Estate Recovery Program web site: