In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Who has the legal right to claim property in a Small Estate Transfer?
Persons who have a legal right to claim property may be called heirs, successors, devisees, or beneficiaries. You may have a right to claim the property of a person who died using small estate transfer if:
- You are named in the will and you can prove it
- You are an heir if the person died without a will
- You are a successor
- You have a legal right to inherit
- You contacted a qualified probate attorney who advised you that you had a property claim
When there is not a will, an heir under Arizona law may be a:
- Surviving spouse
- Child, if there is no surviving spouse, unless the surviving spouse is not the parent of the child
- Parent, if there is no surviving spouse or child
- Brother or sister, if there is no surviving spouse, child or parent