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The Things You Want to Know about Making Your Funeral and Burial Arrangements in Advance

With the passing of a loved one, there are often a multitude of decisions to be made and details to resolve, which can make life even more stressful. Accordingly, one of the greatest gifts you can leave to your loved ones is a preplanned funeral. When you’ve made all the arrangements in advance, your loved ones can focus their attentions where they need to be…on their loss.

So how does preplanning work? Here are answers to some of the most common questions we get about planning a funeral in advance:

Q: How Do I Initiate the Preplanning Process?

A: The easiest way to start the preplanning process is to contact a funeral home director. The director will explain exactly what needs to be done and will help you understand all your options.

Q: Is Preplanning the Same Thing as Prepaying?

A: No. You can preplan your funeral without prepaying, but you’ll provide a much greater benefit to your loved ones if you make some prepayments.

Q: By Prepaying, Will I Lock in Costs at Current Prices?

A: When you prepay, you’ll lock in our current service charges. Cash advance items, such as cemetery fees and clergy fees, are typically not locked in and must be paid at current rates at the time of the funeral and burial.

Q: What Happens If I Change My Mind after I Have Pre-funded a Funeral?

A: Any funds that you put toward your funeral go into an interest-bearing government backed trust account and you remain the owner of those funds until the funeral home renders services. Furthermore, your preplanning account may or may not be revocable until services have been rendered. If your preplan agreement is revocable, you will get a refund. However, if your agreement is irrevocable (such as when the agreement is for a person who is a Medicaid beneficiary), you cannot get a refund, but may transfer your contract to another home.

What Happens If There Is a Balance in My Pre-Need Account after Payment for All Services Rendered?

A: That depends on whether your contract was revocable or irrevocable. With a revocable agreement, any excess funds after a funeral and burial go to the purchaser (or the purchaser’s estate). If the contract was irrevocable, any funds left over after the services go to the county where the decedent was receiving benefits.

What Happens If I Set Up a Pre-Need Account with a Funeral Home and It Goes Out of Business?

A: When a funeral home that has preplanning agreements in place goes out of business, New York state law requires that it provide notice to all individuals for whom it has placed funds in trust for a funeral/burial. The consumer will then have the right to transfer the full principal and interest to another funeral home or get a full refund of all principal and interest.

Will the Money I Pay Into a Preplanned Funeral Count toward My Medicaid Resource Limit?

A: In the state of New York, you can pre-fund funeral expenses without having those contributions affect your Medicaid Resource limit. This is typically done through the use of a Medicaid irrevocable trust.

Can I Set Up a Preplanning Arrangement for Another Person?

A: Absolutely. It’s fairly common practice for individuals to fund preplans for family members. Though you may want to advise them that you’re doing so, and involve them in the process, that’s not a requirement. There’s no requirement that the beneficiary grant permission or sign anything.

Gutterman’s—Serving the Jewish Communities in New York and Florida for More than 125 Years

At Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit, we have provided comprehensive funeral and burial services to members of the Jewish faith for five generations. We are familiar with the unique customs within the different traditions, and will help you pay your respects to a loved one in a way that honors your faith and theirs. We will assist you with every detail, from the planning of the memorial service to the selection of a monument or marker, from the arrangements for Shiva to the creation of a Yahrzeit calendar. We will also work directly with the Chevra Kadisha to ensure proper preparation of the body.

Let us help you in your time of loss. To learn more about our full range of services, call us at one of the numbers below. Our funeral chapels are open, so we are happy to meet with you in person, but we are also happy to consult with you by phone, text message or videoconferencing. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.