(01-24-2001)
Please be a little bit more descriptive about what you mean by a "claim". I assume you mean a bill for services you have rendered or for merchandise that the decedent was eligible to pay before he died.
If you know the approximate date that the person died, then you should look in the local newspaper in your area that publishes "legal" notices (if you don't know the name of it, any attorney or courthouse should be able to give you the name of it). All estates are required to publish a notice of the decedent's probate hearings in such a newspaper and it will contain the name and address of the attorney/executor that is handling the person's affairs. It is usually published within 30-60 days of the date of death.
You could also check with the county courthouse to see if the person's will has been filed yet, and the file would show the name and address of the attorney/executor.
You would then mail the bill to the executor and they will pay the bill, sometimes promptly (if there are enough monies in the estate) or it may take anywhere from 1 to 9 months to be paid if the estate has a lot of debts that also need to be taken care of.
SINCERELY,
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