Questions we have been asked over the years:

Are your funeral homes family owned?
Why is being family owned important?
Did the hospital/nursing home call you?
My parents live out of state, they have several funeral homes in their area. How can they choose the right one for them?
How do we pay for funeral arrangements?
Our family has to consider hospice care, what do we do?
Our family has to make application for ssi/medicaid, what should we do?

Q: Are your funeral homes family owned?
A: Yes.

Q: Why is being family owned important?
A: Family owned is becoming a very important value to our community. We are concerned with helping families that call us for information or a service they may need

Q: Did the hospital/nursing home call you?
A: When you call our funeral home and ask this question, the answer is usually no. Hospitals/nursing homes have health department rules and policies based on those rules to instruct the family to notify their funeral director. The family has to be given the opportunity to discuss among themselves which funeral home they want to help them and be allowed to contact that funeral home. We can only help the family if the family contacts us first.

Q: My parents live out of state, they have several funeral homes in their area. How can they choose the right one for them?
A: Your parents should attend visitations for their friends to see the efforts of the funeral directors at each funeral home
The viewing of the deceased and the conversations in the viewing room are keys to making the decision. When the immediate family and friends acknowledge the quality and value of the funeral director verses the excuse of how terrible the person’s afflictions made them look. Your parents will know the answer

Q: How do we pay for funeral arrangements?
A: The most efficient ways to pay for funeral arrangements are: the pre paid funeral arrangement set up in a New York bank or through pre-plan from the New York State Funeral Directors Association.
When funeral arrangements are not pre-paid,
A full payment in cash, check or debit card
The paying of the cash advances and assigning proceeds of life insurance to pay the balance of the funeral arrangements
The paying of cash advances and paying the balance through use of credit cards

Q: Our family has to consider hospice care, what do we do?
A: This is a difficult time for families when doctors have to recommend hospice care for their patients. Prior to meeting with hospice, the family members should get together and discuss the type of funeral arrangement that they want to have, contact the funeral directors about the funeral arrangements, consider the estate plan and then the best way to pay for those arrangements.

Q: Our family has to make application for ssi/medicaid, what should we do?
A: One of the many resource exclusions allowed by ssi/ medicaid law is the pre paid funeral arrangement. Prior to meeting with the medicaid office, family members should get together and discuss the type of funeral arrangement they want to have, tell the funeral director you are going to make the application for ssi/medicaid, establish a pre paid funeral trust with the irrevocable agreement required by section 209 of the New York social service law.