Paying for a Disabled Dependent’s Funeral Service

Financing and planning a funeral service can be challenging even in the best of circumstances, but when the deceased was disabled, funds are often especially tight. Fortunately, there are options to help you pay for a funeral service in Lake City, FL and do so without going completely broke in the process. Here are six tips on paying for a disabled dependent’s funeral:

• Plan ahead: If you have a disabled loved one who is still alive, preplanning may save you money. You can pay for the services in advance with smaller payments and honor specific wishes. Intellectual and developmental disabilities make these plans more difficult, but you can personalize it just by observing what your loved one likes and any preferences they state just in conversation. Also, if there is a terminal illness involved, it is likely that your loved one may communicate wishes without prodding.
• Return benefit checks: The last thing you need is to owe the government for unearned benefits. If your loved one dies in August and you receive a check in September, that covers August’s expenses. So, return it as soon as possible and notify Social Security and state agencies that your loved one died. If further checks arrive, keep returning them. Failing to do so will require you to pay back those funds with penalties.
• Check for other benefits: If your loved one was married or had children, they may be entitled to survivor benefits. These funds could be used to finance a funeral if you are a survivor. However, do not misappropriate them from a spouse or children. That also risks penalties, as those individuals could sue you for return of the funds.
• Consider budget options: It sounds terrible in theory, but spending less on a funeral does not mean you loved your dependent less. Cremation is less expensive than burial and allows for a more personalized funeral service. You can spread the ashes or place them in an urn in an honored place. Even if you decide to bury the cremains, you will save money on a smaller cemetery plot and still allow them to be buried with other family members.
• Go without: Again, this sounds terrible, much like choosing “budget” options for funeral or burials. However, if you are celebrating a life with many loved ones, you may not need to be extravagant. Obituaries are common, but more private families prefer not to publish them. That can reduce costs. The same is true with elaborate gravestones and caskets. Paying only for what you need or want significantly reduces the price of a funeral service.
• Work with an advocate: There are groups, like the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society, that will help you set budgets and find funeral providers that will honor them. This can be extremely helpful, as many people do not want to price shop funeral services while grieving.

ICS Cremation & Funeral Home is prepared to help you plan a meaningful funeral service in Lake City, FL for your loved one. Review our services today and find the best approach to celebrating a disabled dependent without going into debt.

Categorised in: Funeral Services

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