A licensed funeral director must oversee the transfer, burial and/or cremation of a dead human body. Funeral homes must also file a statement of death and a death certificate.
The Bureau regulates funeral establishments and funeral directors; embalmers and apprentice embalmers; cemetery brokers, salespersons and managers; and cremated remains disposers, crematories and hydrolysis facilities. The Bureau also investigates complaints against these businesses and individuals.
Legal Requirements
Some funeral providers enter into agreements with government agencies to handle arrangements for indigent or other persons who qualify for government benefits. You can offer these package funeral arrangements in addition to, and not in place of, your standard goods and services offerings for all consumers. When qualifying persons inquire about or make these arrangements, you must provide them with a GPL with itemized prices and disclosures.
You must give a GPL to anyone who asks in person about funeral goods or services or their prices, even if they are not interested in making arrangements at this time. You can not tell them that a GPL is available or display one to them without offering it for their inspection and use.
The name of the funeral director who is actually in charge and ultimately responsible must be conspicuously displayed on a sign on or immediately inside the primary entrance to your facility. You can also display a letter of authorization from the employing Type 3 that says, “This funeral home is licensed by the State to conduct pre-need arrangements.” This must be given to all consumers who make or change pre-planned arrangements.
Pricing
In a time of high inflation, prices on caskets and other funeral supplies are rising. Marsh says that in many cases, the price increases are due to the rise in other consumer goods such as gas, paper products and metal.
You must provide a General Price List to anyone who asks for it in person and provides the necessary identifying information to allow them to compare prices. The GPL enables consumers to decide which goods and services are most important to them and control the costs. You must also disclose the non-declinable charge for your basic professional services, as required by the Rule. The fee may be included on the Casket Price List or your Outer Burial Price List. The Rule does not prohibit you from offering packages, but if you do, you must offer your packages in addition to (not instead of) the individually priced goods and services. You must also give consumers a Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected at the end of the arrangements conference.
Arrangement Conferences
After a death, there is much to do and many decisions to be made. The funeral director is available to discuss options and answer questions. This meeting is known as an arrangement conference and can take 30 minutes to several hours.
Before you meet with the funeral director, it is a good idea to prepare by gathering important documents, clothing and personal items and other information that will help your family at this time. It is also a good idea to compare prices from several funeral establishments and cemeteries.
Federal law requires that a funeral home provide a General Price List (GPL) or Casket Price List when requested by a consumer. The GPL contains the individual costs of all merchandise and services offered by the funeral home. It does not include funeral package deals that you may not want or need. It must also state whether caskets are sold on a retail or rental basis and must include a brief description of each container offered.
Final Disposition
If you are a funeral service establishment and you accept a dead human body for final disposition, you may not make any representation that the funeral goods or services you provide will delay the natural decomposition of the remains for a long period of time or indefinitely. For example, you can tell a family that embalming will preserve the body for a viewing, but you cannot say that it will keep the remains preserved forever.
You must give or send the consumer a completed Statement of Goods and Services Selected before you finalize a disposition of the decedent’s remains. This Statement must be written in clear, understandable language and include specific disclosures and costs for each of the goods and services that the consumer chooses.
The Board licenses and regulates funeral establishments, funeral directors, embalmers, and mortuary science interns. It also establishes standards for and approves schools of mortuary science or funeral service, and inspects crematories and their operations.