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Frequent Questions
Click on the questions below to reveal each respective answer.
A funeral or memorial is a customary way to recognize death and its finality. Funerals are held for the living to show respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grief process. They also give mourners a chance to share stories, create memories, fulfill religious beliefs and customs, participate in a support system, and gather at a peaceful place during a time of confusion and uncertainty.
There can be as many as 200 tasks when planning a funeral. Many of them are listed below. After meeting with you at a private consultation, our Funeral Director will coordinate many of these for you and assist you in completing others.
Funeral Director's Responsibilities
- Obtain the signature of the attending physician, coroner or medical examiner on the required certificate; file the certificate with the registrar of vital statistics where the death occurred.
- Make arrangements for and transfer the deceased from the place of death to the funeral home (local or out of town)
- Procure the burial permit and file with the cemetery
- Order and schedule the delivery of all products/merchandise
- Ensure compliance with government regulators
- Arrange for family transportation, to and from the service
- Obtain certified copies of the death certificate
- Obtain family history information for the obituary and other announcements
- Compose and submit newspaper and other media notices
- Complete social security papers and secure social security benefits
- Secure Veterans benefits (if applicable)
- Secure life insurance benefits (if applicable)
- Contact insurance agents
- Complete accounting, clerical and filing work
Family Responsibilities
- Select and contact a funeral home
- Make an appointment to meet with the funeral director
- Notify family members, friends, and business associates
- Gather information that will be included in the obituary
- Answer telephone calls
- Notify organizations in which your loved one participated
- Purchase acknowledgement cards, register books, memorial folders, etc.
- Purchase a door wreath and flowers
- Review the loved one's personal end of life documents (will, trusts, insurance,financial, etc.)
- Complete social security papers and secure social security benefits
- Secure Veterans benefits (if applicable)
- Secure life insurance benefits (if applicable)
Funeral directors are caregivers, advisors, and administrators. They make the arrangements for the transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and carry out the wishes of the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death, are trained to answer questions about grief, and can recommend sources of professional help.
Family, close friends, co-workers, fellow worshippers, neighbors and acquaintances, and in some cases, the greater community.
The cost of a funeral includes all the services of a funeral director and the funeral home staff, transportation, merchandise, such as caskets and urns, and other services and fees associated with the funeral or memorial service. In general, funeral homes make only a modest profit.
Funeral service is regulated by the FTC and state licensing boards. In most cases, the consumer should discuss problems with the funeral director first. If the dispute cannot be resolved by talking with the funeral director, the consumer may wish to contact the Funeral Service Consumer Assistance Program. FSCAP provides information, mediates disputes, provides arbitration, and maintains a consumer guarantee fund for reimbursement of services rendered. (To contact FSCAP, call 708-827-6337 or 800-662-7666).
In addition to family, there are veteran, union, and other organizations that provide benefits to pay for funerals. In some cases this may include a lump sum death payment from Social Security. In most states, some form of public aid allowance is available from the state, county, or city, but individuals must meet certain requirements. Sometimes these allowances can be combined. Most funeral directors are aware of the various benefits and know how to obtain them.
