RoundsHospice and palliative care
The first days after a death at home in California: what to do, and what can wait
Who to call when someone dies at home on hospice, what the nurse and the funeral home do, the death certificate, Social Security, and the tasks that can wait until you’re ready.
Listen to this note
When someone dies at home, families are often surprised by how quiet it is, and then by how many decisions seem to arrive at once. Most of them can wait. This note walks through the first hours and days after an expected death at home in California: who to call, what happens next, and what you can leave for later.
The first hour
If your loved one was on hospice, the death is expected, and there is no need to call 911. Call the hospice. A nurse comes to the home, confirms the death, and helps with what comes next. There is no rush. Many families take time to sit with the person, say what they want to say, pray, or call family to gather before the funeral home comes.
If the person was not on hospice and the death was unexpected, call 911.
The funeral home
When you’re ready, the hospice nurse can call the funeral home you chose, or you can. If you haven’t chosen one, the nurse or social worker can explain how to find one. The funeral home brings the person into its care and usually handles the paperwork that follows, including filing the death certificate.
The death certificate
In California a death has to be registered with the local registrar within eight calendar days and before burial or cremation, and a permit for disposition is needed before either.1 The funeral home normally takes care of both. The medical part of the certificate is completed by the doctor who was caring for the person, and since July 2026 a nurse practitioner who was caring for the person can complete it too.2
Ask the funeral home for several certified copies. Banks, insurers, the DMV and others each ask for one.
Social Security
Funeral homes generally report the death to Social Security for you.3 A surviving spouse may receive a one-time payment of $255, and some family members may qualify for monthly survivor benefits.3 Call Social Security to ask what applies to your family.
What can wait
Thank-you notes, clearing out closets, selling the car, deciding about the house. None of these needs to happen in the first weeks. Tell people who pressure you that you’ll get to it. Grief makes decisions harder, and many families regret moving too fast.
A short list of things that shouldn’t wait too long: telling close family and friends, arranging the service, securing the home if no one will be living there, and keeping up with bills that are on automatic payment.
The hospice equipment and medicines
The hospice arranges to pick up the bed and other equipment. Ask the nurse how to dispose of leftover medicines safely, especially pain medicines. Many pharmacies take them back.
You are not on your own
Hospice care doesn’t end with the death. Medicare requires hospices to offer bereavement support to the family for up to a year afterward.4 At HealthView our bereavement team stays in touch for thirteen months. If the days ahead feel like too much, call us. If you have thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988 at any hour.5
Questions families ask
Do we call 911 when he dies at home on hospice?
No. Call the hospice. A nurse comes to the home and helps with the next steps.
Who files the death certificate?
The funeral home usually files it. In California it has to be registered within eight calendar days and before burial or cremation.1
Do I have to tell Social Security?
Funeral homes generally report the death for you. A spouse may get a one-time $255 payment, and some family members may qualify for survivor benefits.3
How soon do we have to call the funeral home?
There’s no rush after an expected death at home. Take the time you need first.
Sources
Sources 5 references
- California Health and Safety Code sections 102775 (registration within eight calendar days) and 103050 (permit for disposition), as quoted by the National Home Funeral Alliance, “California.” homefuneralalliance.org (opens in a new tab)
- California AB 583 (2025), Chapter 271, Statutes of 2025: nurse practitioners may complete the medical section of a death certificate from July 1, 2026. CalMatters Digital Democracy. calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org (opens in a new tab)
- Social Security Administration, “What to do when someone dies.” ssa.gov (opens in a new tab)
- 42 CFR 418.64, “Condition of participation: Core services,” including bereavement counseling. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. law.cornell.edu (opens in a new tab)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988, any hour. 988lifeline.org (opens in a new tab)
Pick up where you left off