It is legal for a family or designated agent to handle ...

1 Funeral Arrangements After-death donation of eyes, skin, and long regardless of how much you spend. the federal agency has no jurisdiction over the There is no provision for you to name an agent bones may be considered. Ask the hospital Burial first three miles; the bordering state does. Most for body disposition if you want someone other social worker or the funeral director about this. Cemeteries less than five acres do not need to be states (except for California and South Dakota). than your next-of-kin to be in charge, but the While whole body donation to a medical school registered with the state. It is unlikely there are have no restrictions on the disposition of written wishes of the deceased are to prevail. is one way to lower costs, family must pay for local zoning regulations regarding home burial, cremated remains, and there are no cremains It is legal for a family or designated agent to transportation and arterial embalming.

2 After but you should check. If your land is in a rural police even in those two states. Do as you handle everything without a funeral director. medical study, the school will pay for cremation area, draw a map of the land showing where the wish. To find a home funeral guide, check: and can return the cremated remains to the family cemetery will be and have it recorded If flying with cremated remains, be sure they are family if requested. You should have back-up with the deed. A good practice is 150 feet from in a non-metal container to pass through the If you will be using a funeral home, prices must funeral plans if your body cannot be accepted a water supply and 25 feet from a boundary or scanner. be given over the telephone. You must be given for any reason.

3 Power line. There must be 12 inches of earth on Cremated remains may be sent only by a General Price List (GPL) if you visit in person There are also non-academic companies that top. Postal Service. Use Priority Mail Express and and before discussing any services. accept whole bodies for research and education. If you purchase a lot in a town or religious ask for delivery confirmation. FedEx and UPS. You must be shown a Casket and Outer Burial Various body parts will likely be shipped cemetery, you will also have the opening and will not knowingly accept cremated remains. Container Price List before selecting either. around the country and possibly internationally. closing costs in addition to the cost of the plot. You must be given a Statement of Funeral This state has minimal laws regulating these Some cemeteries have restrictions on the kind of Veterans and Their Dependants Goods and Services Selected with the total cost companies which must be registered with the monuments or plantings and adornment You will need a copy of the DD214 discharge before any services are provided.

4 State. Note that this is an entirely different allowed. papers for gaining benefits. Some of the Florida nonprofit consumer groups category of body donation from the traditional Disinterment to another cemetery must be done There is space available for casketed burials and do a price survey every year or two: cadaver donation to a medical school. in the presence of a licensed funeral director and cremated remains in these VA cemeteries: To find the nearest body donation option, the with the permission of the authorizing person or Bushnell, Jacksonville, Lake Worth, Pensacola, Do not sign any contract for more than you cost if any, and the reasons for body rejection next-of-kin. and Sarasota. There is space for only cremated can afford to pay. Each county contracts with a check: remains in Bay Pines.

5 The VA cemetery in St. specific funeral home for indigent services Cremation Augustine is closed to new interments. which must be limited. There is no other Embalming and Other Requirements There is a 48-hour wait prior to cremation. Interment and marker are free of charge for the organization that assists with funeral costs. Embalming or refrigeration is required after 24 A medical examiner's permit is required. veteran, spouse, and certain dependants in a VA. hours. A pacemaker must be removed. cemetery. Autopsy If the body is to be shipped out of state, airlines Some crematories will let the family witness the The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If the death was unexpected or the cause of prefer to have the body embalmed, but a sealed cremation.

6 Provides markers for veterans no matter where death uncertain, the state will probably require container can usually make that optional. The cremation process takes about two-and-a- they are interred. Markers can be upright or flat, an autopsy. Many funeral homes have a policy that requires half hours for an average adult. and they come in bronze, marble, and granite: If you have questions about the death, you may embalming for a public viewing. Embalming The crematory will remove any metal fragments (800) 697-6947. request and pay for a private autopsy. does not protect the public health. It merely and pulverize the cremated remains to small A free flag can be ordered through the If a viewing is planned, there will likely be extra delays decomposition.

7 Particles, similar to white or gray coarse sand, Postal Service. charges to repair the body for embalming. about 5-10 pounds. A comprehensive list of veterans benefits can be Caskets, Liners, and Vaults Cremated remains may be kept at home, found here: Organ, Body, and Tissue Donation Neither is required by state law for burial. A scattered or buried on private land with the If death occurs in a hospital, you are likely to be rigid combustible container is required for land-owner's permission, interred in a cemetery funeral-and-burial-benefits asked about organ donation. Only about 1% of cremation. or memorial garden, or placed in a mausoleum the deaths are eligible for major organ donation. The least expensive casket must be displayed. niche. Social Security Death Benefit The organ procurement organization (OPO) will A casket will not prevent natural decomposition.

8 If scattering on public land or water, don't ask, There is a $255 death benefit for a surviving pay for any extra body preparation needed if You may build your own or purchase from a don't tell. Park service people are concerned spouse. There is no similar benefit when that you plan a viewing. Decline any such charge casket retailer. Vault dealers rarely sell to the that some may want to create a little shrine at spouse dies. you might find on the GPL. public. the site and would prefer not to know your Dependent children are entitled to survivor The purpose of a vault is to keep the ground plans. Be discreet. The Environmental benefits when a parent dies. from caving in. It facilitates maintenance for the Protection Agency (EPA) says they must be cemetery.

9 It has no preservative qualities scattered three miles out to sea. That's because Prepaying for a Funeral Setting aside assets for Medicaid eligibility is Complaints If the contract guarantees the price, the interest the one time it makes sense to prepay for a Valid complaints include dishonesty, is supposed to cover funeral inflation. But funeral. There is no limit to the amount in an misrepresentation, unprofessional conduct, many investments do not appreciate as fast as irrevocable funeral trust. Be sure to ask if you negligence, breach of contract, violation of state the prices climb. You have a right to insist on will be getting an annual report of your prepaid or federal laws. For how to file a complaint, see: no extra charges if it is clearly identified in the contract as "price guaranteed.

10 " Any substitutions should be of equal quality to that funds and let those who will be handling your affairs know that you have prepaid and where.. On-line complaint form: Your described in the contract. The Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer .. Prices for third-party items such as the crematory fee or obituary cannot be guaranteed. You can get a full refund within the first 30. Services has ten members, one of whom is the state health officer or designee. Three are consumer representatives one of whom must be over 60 and Much of the information for this brochure was taken from Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death (Upper Access, 2011). Funeral days. After that only service charges, not merchandise or interest will be refunded. another a CPA.