Does your Funeral Home have a "Payment Policy"? Here's a policy statement for you to use or edit for your home.

Funeral Services Forms of Payment Information

Our Funeral Home helps your family choose the best payment option for your family.

Acceptable forms of payment are: Cash, Money Orders, Bank Checks and life Insurance Assignment proceeds. We accept all major Credit Cards, Master Card, Visa, Discover and American Express and Life Insurance or other forms of a Death Benefit that can be assigned are accepted. There are some requirements for the use of charge cards and life insurance assignment proceeds. If you are using a debit card, it must have a Master Card or Visa logo. We can not accept personal checks.  Please make all Bank checks payable to our Funeral Homes.  We also provide financing.   

Most importantly, please speak openly with your Funeral Director about what payment option is best for you; we are all here to serve you and your family.

CHARGE CARDS

Master Card, Visa, American Express & Discover are all excepted.

WHAT ARE FUNERAL HOME CHARGES?

Your funeral bill is divided into two parts. The first part is Funeral Home charges, which consist of all services rendered and merchandise purchased directly with our funeral home.   The second part of your funeral bill consists of “cash disbursements” or advances including clergy, flowers, funeral funding fees for insurance assignments, program printing, see below for the most common charges.

WHAT ARE CASH Disbursements?

These services are directly related to a third party to be paid on your behalf that are not directly related to the funeral home.

Examples:

• ·         Cemetery or Crematory 
• ·         Clergy or Organist 
• ·         Death Certificates 
• ·         Airfare or any other transportation 
• ·         Life Insurance Assignment Funding Fees
• ·         Other funeral home charges 
• ·         Consulate fees 
• ·         Church fees 
• ·         Repass or reception fees

LIFE INSURANCE OR ANY OTHER DEATH BENEFIT

Life insurance Assignments are a form of payment that can be used to pay a funeral bill, but not in all cases.  Keep in mind, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy does not have to assign the policy for payment. There is no law requiring to do so.

These are guidelines when assigning a life insurance policy for payment:

1. Life insurance policies must be verified by one of our insurance specialist to confirm value amount and beneficiary.  We work with Trinity Funeral Funding to expedite the verification and funding of your insurance assignment.  By utilizing Trinity Funeral Funding, the balance of the insurance benefits paid to the beneficiaries will also be expedited because Trinity accelerates the process of verification and payment.
2. Insurance Policies must be enforced for 2 full years from the date the policy was issued.  Otherwise, most insurance companies will “contest” the policy and frequently only return the premiums paid up to the date of passing.
3. Insurance companies commonly accept a funeral home Assignment, which is a document that gives permission/Power of Attorney from the beneficiary to work with and pay the funeral home or funding company directly from the insurance company. Trinity will provide the assignment form. This form must be filled out and signed by the beneficiary, funeral director and then notarized.  There is a notary on our staff.
4. A claim form is usually required be filled out and signed by the beneficiaries. Most claim forms we have in our file.  Some insurance companies will fax them or they can be printed off the web. There are cases where the forms can only be mailed to the beneficiary.

We accept insurance assignments if the death certificate has one of the following manners of death. Natural, Accidental, Suicide or Homicide. If it states PENDING FURTHER STUDY, the insurance company may not pay in these two cases and we will advise you if this is the case.  

WHAT IS PENDING FURTHER STUDY ON A DEATH CERTIFICATE?

Pending further study means that the cause of death has not been determined. When someone has an autopsy by a private company or a medical examiner, in most cases, they will not have a cause of death at the completion of this procedure.  It can take many months for the report to be completed and the final cause to be determined.  Then the cause is forwarded to the registrar or health department. When it reaches there, the corrections department can take 6 to 8 weeks to amend the death certificate to put a cause of death on it.  At this point, the death certificate is ready to be mailed to the insurance company. It will take the insurance company additional time to process and pay the claim.  In total this process can take a year or more. It will take even longer if it is an employer provided insurance.

OTHER FORMS OF DEATH BENEFITS OTHER THAN LIFE INSURANCE

1. Some annuities can be used as a death benefit to pay a funeral bill. 
2. If in a car accident, there are some car insurance policies that have a death benefit as part of the policy.
3. In the city of New York, if one has been killed and was a victim of a crime, the Crime Victims Board has a death benefit.
4. Pre-Paid Funeral is one sure way of payment.
5. A burial account in a bank.

All of the above will have to be confirmed and approved before acceptance.

For more information please speak with you funeral director.  We are here to serve you.

Insurance Assignment verification and sameday funding, Trinity Funeral Funding: 201-750-1117