Legal Question in Family Law in New York

Re: husband death

If your deceased spouse, for a substantial period of time, declined, failed or refused, to report or acknowledge to a hospital, employer or other Agency, that he was married to you and you want recognition from such an Agency, that you are [the] surviving spouse, you DO need to produce more than a copy of your Marriage License.

Suggest that you immediately:

1) Obtain a CERTIFIED copy of your Marriage License.

2) Run a Tr-State "CERTIFIED" Divorce records search. (Run for the states where you & husband married, lived and worked).

3) Have available, YOUR Government Identification proving that you are the person named in your marriage license. ID, should include a certified copy of YOUR Birth Certificate, your Drivers License, Passport, etc..

Websites for the Department of Vital Statistics or of Health, for the States, you need to search, can provide you with useful information.

Good luck,

Re: husband death

Yes, you may have to get letters testamentary from Surrogates Court. You should probably ask an attorney to do this for you and you may be able to pay them a percentage of what you recover from the hospital. You need an attorney who handles trust and estate matters.