Nomination under Dependent Protection Scheme

Hi Mr Tan,
My father had passed away recently due to an heart attack. I  received a letter which stated that he had nominated his children from Malaysia (from a previous marriage) for the proceeds. He left nothing to my mother who is the legally married wife. 


Can my mother dispute the nomination as this scheme was intended to help the families tide over the first few years in the event of death? My mother had to bear the funeral and other expenses relating to the estate. Can she claim for the DPS even though she was not a nominee? If she was not able to claim from DPS, can she just ignore the pending settlements and issues in Singapore?

REPLY
It is best to talk to the nominees and ask them to settle the expenses out of the proceeds. Your mother can ignore the expenses, if she had not legally contracted to pay for them.