The information service, created in cooperation between the Association of Estonian Cities and Rural Municipalities and the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA), is based on the most common questions and concerns that people usually have. The information service of the state portal eesti.ee contains information on registering a death, obtaining a death certificate, the funeral benefit, estate/property, and managing the finances of the deceased, but also points out why it is important to talk to your loved ones about planning a funeral.
‘While it is a topic often avoided, it is also an inevitable reality of life that has to be dealt with,’ said Rait Pihelgas, Deputy Director of the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities. ‘Each individual should consider how they envision their passing and, if possible, they should talk to their loved ones about it. ‘At such a challenging time, it offers loved ones a bit of ease, allowing them to focus mentally on likely one of their toughest moments, rather than being burdened by extensive administrative tasks,’ he explained.
Initially, it will be an online information service where details about necessary procedures are presented clearly and comprehensibly. According to Taavi Ploompuu, Head of the Personal Services Department at RIA, they plan to soon expand the proactive government service to include the option to apply for a funeral benefit. ‘This means that the organiser of the funeral will be able to submit an application to the local government directly from the eesti.ee environment,’ he noted.
Rait Pihelgas emphasised that developing the information service was a necessary step towards consolidating the services and information provided by local governments to one environment, the eesti.ee platform, in the future. ‘We have a common broader goal – to ensure that national and local government services are logically connected for users and easily accessible to every citizen,’ he commented.
The proactive government services developed by RIA and its partners are collections of information and services based on events occurring in people’s lives, bringing the opportunities of the Estonian e-state to everyone as conveniently and personalised as possible so that individuals do not have to search for information about the services and benefits offered to them from various ministry and agency websites individually. All proactive government services can be found on the state portal eesti.ee, which is the citizen’s gateway to the state’s e-services, information related to them, notifications sent by the state, the data tracker, and the consent service.
Proactive government services are funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The proactive government service for dealing with the loss of a loved one was developed in collaboration with the Association of Estonian Cities and Rural Municipalities, the City of Tallinn, Viimsi rural municipality, Saaremaa and Võru rural municipalities, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
