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  1. Paying for a Funeral
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  2. Financial assistance for cremation in new york

I need assistance in cremation costs for my brother.

Bolistic4 asked...

my brother died in ny can i recieve financial assistance in cremation what agency can help. thank you for any assistance in information

Expert Answer

Rebekah Peoples, CFSP, CPC, Is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. She is passionate about serving others and believes that giving clients honest, accurate information empowers them to create tributes and services that are meaningful and appropriate.

Please accept my condolences for your loss. Brothers can be pretty special.

Here are a couple of things you might consider. First, there is financial assistance for cremation/burial costs in New York from Social Services; however there is strict criteria for approval. If he was already receiving monetary help from this agency, it will be easy for them to approve your request. If he wasn't, Social Services will only provide assistance if your brother had no assets, including bank accounts with any significant value. Your funeral director can help you with filling out the application and will stay in contact with them to get a response about your brother's eligibility. If you want to contact the office directly, this website has phone numbers based on counties; simply click on the one where your brother lived. http://ocfs.ny.gov/services/

Second, there are ways you can minimize the cost of cremation services. If you let the funeral director know that there are financial concerns, she will make suggestions and can be a good resource. Just because someone is cremated does not mean that you can't still have a service. The least expensive option is what the funeral home refers to as "direct cremation." This means that the body is cremated directly without visiting hours or a service preceding the cremation process. You can then arrange to have a service somewhere other than the funeral home, such as your place of worship or other location. A church or temple will usually have a nominal charge for the use of the building and also a fee for the clergyman. Ask the funeral director how long it will take for you to get his cremated body back so you can arrange to have it present for the service. Funeral homes have urns in all price ranges for the "ashes" to be placed into; however, you may have an appropriate box or container of your own that can be used.

If your brother was a veteran, there may be some assistance available; however this is usually only applicable if he died in a veterans facility or died of a service-related injury.

Caring funeral directors will work with people who have financial concerns. May you find comfort in dear memories of your brother.