General Information

MEDICAID TRUST ACCOUNTS
If you are confronted with moving a parent or family member into a nursing home, you should know that Medicaid allows you to pre-pay for their funeral expenses.  New York Sate requires that these funds be set up in an irrevocable trust fund.  We can assist you in setting up these accounts as required by Medicaid.


SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
A lump sum death benefit of $255.00 is a one time benefit for a surviving spouse.  Other monthly benefits which an individual may be eligible for include those for an unmarried child up to the age of 18 (19 if the child is still a full time student in high school).

We will contact Social Security to inform them of the death, but if you need to apply for any other benefits you can visit your local office or you can contact them by phone 1-800-772-1213 or via the internet; www.socialsecurity.org.


VETERAN BENEFITS
The Veterans Administration will provide a full military service for each honorably discharged veteran’s funeral service.  This includes all types of funerals ranging from traditional burial to memorial services. An American flag is given to each United States veteran for their funeral.  The flag will be folded and placed inside the casket and then draped over the casket for the burial service.

A veteran whose death is related to their military service may receive up to $2,000.00 towards their funeral expenses; also a veteran whose death occurs at a VA facility may also be eligible for a death benefit up to $ 750.00.

The Veterans Administration will also provide a burial headstone which we will apply for on your behalf.  There are several types available from flat granite, flat bronze or a niche bronze marker.

The VA also provides a burial space at a “National Cemetery” for the veteran and their spouse.  The VA provides a grave, a burial vault and VA headstone marker.  The cemetery selects the grave on your behalf and only at the time of death.


A DEATH OCCURING AWAY FROM HOME
​If a family member or a friend passes away from home we suggest contacting us first.  The purpose for this is to save you time, effort and money.  Our funeral home will contact a local funeral director, take care of providing all the information and arrange a flight home for your loved one.  This will be done at a set rate which in most cases will save you several hundred dollars.