Who is your next of kin?
The marriage ceremonies are over. The couple steps into life as married people. What has changed? He is still the same height as before just as she still has the sonorous voice that drew him to her the night they met.
The lack of any change is only on the surface; things have changed. She is now his next of kin just as he is of hers.
Next of Kin is a badly abused phrase to mean the person who collects a person’s entitlements upon death. It is not. It is the person who is entitled to be notified in the event of an accident or death in the course of work. The spousal right to such information supersedes anybody else’s.
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In cases of emergency when an injured person needs to have a person notified, the next of kin may be attempted to be contacted. Next of kin may be required to provide information or provide consents in such emergency situations, so they need to be adults. That is a reason why it can’t be your minor child or your brother in the village.
I am aware that a lot of people confuse next of kin with the beneficiary. Next of kin refers to the nearest blood relatives of a person who has died, including the surviving spouse.
It has been said that it may also be used to refer to anyone who would inherit part of the estate by the laws of descent and distribution if there is no will. I am sure that is not the law. Letters of Administration must be granted by the court where there is no will. This Letter appoints the persons who will administer such estate and distribute according to law
Is your spouse your next of kin?
Have you notified all the people you need to, who your next of kin is?
What stories have we heard about issues surrounding next of kin?