The wife died just shy of a year ago and even when I knew where everything was there were still issues.

The social security folks don't care what paperwork you have they will NOT allow access to the dying or dead persons records. You have to go specifically to the social security office/website and designate a specific person(s) who are allowed to act on your behalf. It complicated things but I was able to work around it.

I would also recommend a yearly review of all the paperwork and be sure it's up to current needs and you've included any/all changes over the past year. I got all my paperwork reviewed and updated late last year with an attorney and it was "cheap" and only a few hundred dollars - don't rely on the self done paperwork it is well worth the cost to be sure all the little issues in your area's legal requirements are covered.

There are also several articles on having a "death file" and what it should include that helped guide me in setting up my paperwork.