Effective 28 Aug 2014

208.180. Payment of benefits, to whom — disposition of benefit check of deceased person. — 1. Payment of benefits hereunder shall be made monthly in advance, at such regular intervals as shall be determined by the family support division, directly to the recipient, or in the event of such recipient's incapacity or disability, to such recipient's legally appointed conservator, and except as provided in subsection 2, in the case of a dependent child to the relative with whom he or she lives; provided, that payments for the cost of authorized inpatient hospital or nursing home care in behalf of an individual may be made after the care is received either during his or her lifetime or after his or her death to the person, firm, corporation, association, institution, or agency furnishing such care, and shall be considered as the equivalent of payment to the individual to whom such care was rendered. All incapacity or disability proceedings of persons applying for or receiving benefits under this law shall be carried out without fee or other expense when in the opinion of the probate division of the circuit court the person is unable to assume such expense. At the discretion of the court such a guardian or conservator may serve without bond.

2. Payment of benefits with respect to a dependent child may be made, pursuant to regulations of the family support division, to an individual, other than the relative with whom he or she lives, who is interested in or concerned with the welfare of the child, or who is furnishing food, living accommodations or other goods, services or items to or for the dependent child, in the following cases:

(1) Where the relative with whom the child lives has demonstrated an inability to manage funds to the extent that payments to him or her have not been or are not being used in the best interest of the child; or

(2) Where the relative has refused to participate in a work or training program to which he or she has been referred under section 208.042.

3. Whenever any recipient shall have died after the issuance of a benefit check to him, or on or after the date upon which a benefit check was due and payable to him, and before the same is endorsed or presented for payment by the recipient, the probate division of the circuit court of the county in which the recipient resided at the time of his or her death shall, on the filing of an affidavit by one of the next of kin, or creditor of the deceased recipient, and upon the court being satisfied as to the correctness of such affidavit, make an order authorizing and directing such next of kin, or creditor, to endorse and collect the check, which shall be paid upon presentation with a certified copy of the order attached to the check and the proceeds of which shall be applied upon the funeral expenses and the debts of the decedent, duly approved by the probate division of the circuit court, and it shall not be necessary that an administrator be appointed for the estate of the decedent in order to collect the benefit check. No cost shall be charged in such proceedings. Such affidavit filed by one of the next of kin, or creditor, shall state the name of the deceased recipient, the date of his or her death, the amount and number of such benefit check, the funeral expenses and debts owed by the decedent, and whether the decedent had any estate other than the unpaid benefit check and, in the event the decedent had an estate that requires administration, the provisions of this section shall not apply and the estate of the decedent shall be administered upon in the same manner as estates of other deceased persons.

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(RSMo 1939 § 9417, A.L. 1941 p. 647, A.L. 1959 H.B. 1, A.L. 1969 H.B. 804, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634, A.L. 1983 S.B. 44 & 45, A.L. 2014 H.B. 1299 Revision)