How Utah Is Looking Out for Kids Who Lose a Parent

Ashlyn Stone's children lost their father, Hayden Hansen, in a car accident in 2020. Stone found it hard to get support for her family. Public agencies did not reach out, and she was wrongly told her children could not get Social Security survivor benefits because she and Hansen were not married.

Stone eventually found help through her aunt, who was a financial planner, and a friend. She also discovered The Sharing Place, a nonprofit offering grief support. Many families across the U.S. face similar challenges, often missing out on Social Security benefits and grief counseling. Children in Black, Tribal, and rural communities are especially underserved, living in what researchers call "bereavement deserts."

Utah's New Approach to Supporting Grieving Children

Utah is changing how it supports children who lose a parent. Since 2023, state officials and nonprofits have worked together to help these children get Social Security survivor benefits and other resources.

The death of a parent is a traumatic event. About 5.5 million children in the U.S. will lose a parent. A 2025 study in Nature Medicine showed a nearly 50% rise in new cases of children losing a parent or primary caregiver between 2000 and 2021.

Julie Kaplow, an expert on childhood grief, says most children who lose a parent will still lead healthy lives. However, they are more likely to face mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Early help, especially within the first two years, is important. About 20% of children may develop prolonged grief, often linked to limited social support or other traumas. Kaplow stresses the need to identify and help these children early.

Kaplow notes that grief and trauma treatments are different. A child can be deeply distressed by grief without showing PTSD symptoms. Grief is the most common form of trauma for U.S. children, and many have been overlooked. Utah is the only state that has asked Kaplow to train people who work with grieving children and their families.

How Utah is Making a Difference

In 2021, the Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support formed to help children who lost a parent. In 2023, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Granite School District started making changes with the Collaborative's help.

A big challenge was finding these children. Catherine Jaynes, CEO of the Children’s Collaborative, and Ben McAdams, a senior advisor, noted there was no system to identify them. They looked to Brazil, which has a checkbox on death certificates for dependent children. Governor Cox liked this idea.

On July 25, 2023, Governor Cox issued an executive order. It requires Utah DHHS to add a voluntary checkbox on death certificates to show if the deceased person had minor children. The governor also suggested $400,000 for Utah DHHS and the 211 Service Navigator program to help families apply for benefits and find grief support. The Granite School District also added a question to its back-to-school forms about a child losing a parent or caregiver.

Since the program began, Utah has identified thousands of children who might be eligible for Social Security survivor benefits and grief support. Nate Winters, DHHS deputy director, says about 1,000 boxes are checked each year, meaning many more children are impacted. The 211 Service Navigators also help families with housing and food. DHHS has also made it faster to contact families by giving funeral homes materials about the 211 program.

A Model for Other States

Utah's efforts are being noticed. The bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board has recommended that other states follow Utah's example. They highlighted using checkboxes on death certificates and school forms to raise awareness of Social Security survivor benefits. The Board also suggested an online application and using death record data to find eligible children.

David Weaver, a Social Security policy expert, praised Utah's "experiment" for combining information with action. He noted that connecting families to a 211 Service Navigator can help them navigate the Social Security Administration, which has seen staffing cuts. Weaver hopes other states adopt Utah's model, stressing the importance of a state official, like Governor Cox, who champions the cause.

The Children’s Collaborative is reaching out to governors in other states who have personal experience with loss, hoping to inspire similar programs. Utah officials plan to continue identifying and guiding grieving children and their families to needed resources, aligning with the DHHS vision to keep all families healthy and safe.