The Bureau licenses, investigates and enforces statutes and regulations related to the funeral and cremation industry. It also sets minimum standards for Funeral Directors and Embalmers, as well as inspects their facilities.
Funeral service workers must meet education and licensing requirements. Explore the resources below to learn more. The Bureau does not regulate cemeteries operated by religious organizations, cities, counties or cemetery districts; the military; or Native American tribal organizations.
Licensing
The Board licenses funeral directors and embalmers; oversees funeral establishments; investigates complaints and, when necessary, imposes disciplinary sanctions. It also advocates consumer protection and licensee compliance through proactive education and consistent interpretation and application of laws governing the death care industry.
In order to be licensed as a funeral director or embalmer, an individual must:
Complete two years of general college academics and a one-year program at a mortuary science school that is accredited by the National Board of Funeral Service Education. In addition, they must pass the National Board exam sponsored by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards and complete a one-year internship or apprenticeship.
In New York, funeral directors, undertakers and embalmers must obtain a license from the Department of Health. They must also register each death with the city’s Office of Vital Records, Burial Desk. A funeral firm must also be registered if it intends to transport remains outside the state or its contiguous counties.
Fees
Many funeral providers also charge a basic services fee. This fee must include services common to virtually all forms of disposition or arrangements, such as conducting the arrangement conference, securing necessary permits and copies of death certificates, preparing notices, sheltering the remains and coordinating the arrangements with a cemetery, crematory or third party. It may not include charges for optional goods or services that the consumer can decline to purchase.
You are not required to give a GPL to consumers who inquire by telephone or by mail, but if you do meet with them face-to-face, your disclosures must be the same as those specified in the Rule. This is true even if the meeting takes place in their home or while you are removing the deceased from a hospital or nursing home.
Some funeral providers enter into special agreements with government agencies to provide caskets and other funeral items for indigent persons. If you have a contract with such an agency, the Rules require you to give the government agent a copy of your General Price List and Casket Price List and an itemized Statement of Goods and Services Selected.
Third-Party Casket Dealers
Many online retailers offer caskets significantly cheaper than those sold by funeral homes. These companies, however, do not have the ability to inspect a casket before shipping it. Purchasing from such an online retailer is risky and it is important to make sure the company has robust customer service.
In addition to ensuring transparency in pricing, the online retailer must have a thorough understanding of The Funeral Rule. Under this federal law, funeral directors cannot charge “casket-handling fees” or otherwise discriminate against consumers who buy caskets from outside the funeral home.
Moreover, third-party casket dealers must provide a complete set of tools to help customers uncrate their caskets when they arrive. Otherwise, the funeral home can legally refuse to allow the family to use their building while they wait for a shipper. In such a situation, the family will have to travel outside in the rain to get their casket. This is both unkind and illegal.