It doesn't get better for Tsunami foriegn victims.

[shropshire 0]

Just heard on the UK news.. Families of some of the missing may have to wait up to 7 years to get a death certificate for their missing relative.
The sad fact is that without a body these poor people are in a state of legal limbo.
My thoughts go out to them.
As if the loss of a loved one wasn't bad enough

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Acensky 0]

7 years , wow I can't even imagine having to wait that long. My heart goes out to those people.

Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

[miked10270 0]

I now hear that the UK Government is "looking into" the legal requirements for Death Certificates.

In fairness, it's commonly held that in the absence of evidence of death (like a body), then it requires 7 years of no evidence to the contrary before death can be assumed.

So... If someone just goes a'missin' then you wait 7 years before you can pronounce (assume) them to be legally dead. In effect, if they haven't shown up after 7 years then they ain't gonna show up at all.

What the UK Government is going to do is "relax" the rules for possible Indian Ocean Tsunami victims so that evidence that the person was in the disaster area at the material time and has not been subsequently found will be accepted as evidence to support a presumption of death. I guess that around 3 months will be the revised timescale with adequate supporting evidence.

You have to strike a balance between granting a death certificate (with all its financial implications) and easing the suffering of families.

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[flyangel2 2]

While reading this information two thoughts strike me.

With 9/11 I was under the impression that not all bodies were recovered. Are the family members of victims that died in the WTT having to wait seven years?


In my experience with losing some one and having to deal with death, having that Death Certificate doesn't really ease the emotional suffering. For me if there isn't a need to having the Death Certificate because of financial reasons, it's just a piece of paper and having that piece of paper, isn't going to bring that person back. (Not meant to be crud)

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[debonair 0]

In NY you have to wait 3 years and have a hearing for a judge to make the final decision. My brother died, there were witnesses but they were unable to recover his body. His widow had to wait 3 years before a judge listened to the witness testimony and said okay you can have a death certificate. Meanwhile his wife with 3 kids under 10 at the time could not sell a car, their house, get SSI or insurance to get through. Fortunately family helped her through it. It was bad enough to deal with the death but to be kept hanging in limbo like that was pretty awful.

I think in the case of special events such as 9-11 or the Tsunami exceptions can be made but it is still pretty hard when there is no physical closure.

AZChallenger JFTC99/02 GOFAST300 STILLUV4WAY
"It's nothing 1000 jumps won't cure..."
- Jeff Gorlick, Seattle Sky Divers