Monthly Archives: November 2020

Medicaid and Your Cremation

Did you know that you can use Medicaid to help pay for funeral or cremation services in Oakland, CA?

The first step is to using Medicaid to pay for funeral and cremation expenses is to establish a trust. The trust should establish your chosen funeral home or cremation provider as a beneficiary to make sure that they receive the money upon your death. The best kind of trust you set up is an Irrevocable Trust, as this form protects the money you set aside just in case you need Medicaid to help cover any long-term care costs. Be wary of Revocable Trusts, as Medicaid set seize money from Revocable Trusts if you have already depleted your other assets and you need help paying for medical or long-term care costs.

The best way to make sure you use Medicaid to pay for funeral and cremation services properly and protect your money is to work with an estate attorney. If you’re covered by Medicaid you can set aside money for cremation services, but trust and estate attorneys know the ins and outs of Medicaid, insurance and trusts and can best advise you on how to proceed in your specific circumstances. Another reason to hire an attorney is because Medicaid and cremation expenses rules vary from state to state. You need an expert that is familiar with your state’s rules to best advise you. You can also get in touch with your state’s Medicaid department, local Medicaid office, or an attorney in your area for more information.

In many states, Medicaid trusts need to have been in place for at least five years for the funds to be accessible, so you also need to make sure that you establish your trust enough in advance. Your chosen funeral home or cremation provider with most likely have established protocols that they prefer you use when you create a trust to pay for future funeral and cremation expenses. Be sure to talk to your funeral home and your estate attorney to get a recommendation on the type of trust you should set up to pay for cremation service arrangements.

There are other ways to prepay for funeral or cremation expenses beyond Medicaid and trusts, like funeral insurance. You can purchase an insurance policy that lists the funeral home or cremation provider as the beneficiary so, when you die, the funeral home with get the money from the insurance company to put towards your funeral. Again, your local funeral home will most likely have a preferred insurance provider. Some might even be able to sell you the insurance directly. Keep in mind, though, that most life insurance policies do not cover funeral or cremation expenses.

Deer Creek Funeral Service is here to help if you want to learn more about Medicaid, funeral homes and preplanning. We offer a range of Oakland, CA cremation services with the experience and compassion necessary to help you. Call or visit us today for more information on what we can do for you in your time of loss or preplanning.

Mourning Rituals

Mourning is an important part of grief after a service at a funeral home in Oakland, CA, and mourning rituals are symbolic activities that help ease the pain of loss and the heavy weight of grief, you should investigate forming rituals of your own. Mourning rituals help those in grief connect with others over the loss and find support in one another. They are traditionally based in religion, like the catholic funeral service or the Jewish shiva. However, as classic religion is on a decline, many people are looking other places for their mourning rituals.

Are you looking for inspiration for a ritual of your own? You can try burning sage. Sage burning is another very traditional ritual. Sage has long been associated with cleansing and can therefore help you feel like you’ve aided the deceased in their passing or can assist in cleansing away negative emotions. You could also carry a remembrance item. You can carry an item that belonged to or reminds you of the deceased and help you remember that they are always with you. Remembrance items can be anything, such as a watch, handkerchief, lighter, or piece of jewelry.

Some ancient cultures would host a “giveaway” in which they would each take a piece of the deceased’s possessions to use as their own. You can do a modern version of this in which you go through and donate the deceased’s possessions with other grieving people. There are often many things left unsaid when someone dies. A healthy way to say those unsaid things is to write a letter to the deceased. You can bury the letter with your loved one, burn it to release the feelings, or hold onto it for later remembrance.

Food brings people together, especially in hard times. Cooking the deceased’s favorite meal and then sharing it with others allows you to honor their memory and connect with those that are also grieving the loss. What about lighting a candle? Candles have a long history of being associated with both rituals and grief. Take this tradition and make it your own by lighting a candle for the deceased at a certain time of day, a special date, or whenever you need to feel connected to them.

Coloring a picture, painting or sculpting is a wonderful way to release feelings of grief and loss. Create in the deceased’s memory in whatever medium feels comfortable to you. Though altars are traditionally more Eastern, they have recently become more and more popular in Western cultures. An altar for your lost loved one can be anything from a collection of meaningful items to an array of photos, candled and incense.

These are simple yet powerful mourning rituals you can use after a loved one’s death. Do you want more information on mourning rituals or Oakland, CA funeral home services? Deer Creek Funeral Service is here to help in any way that we can. You can stop by and visit us or give us a call today for more information on what we can do for you.

Deaths Overseas

Most people do have some arrangements preplanned for cremation services in Oakland, CA for themselves or their loved ones. It’s a good idea to plan, but almost no one plans on having to deal with a death or bringing a body home. The process of bringing a body home, called body repatriation, can take a long time and a mountain of paperwork, so it’s best to get started as soon as you can. Move quickly and efficiently to make sure that you stay on top of all that needs to be done.

If you lose a loved one while they’re traveling, the stress of that death is usually compounded by the question: “what do I do now?” Generally, the local embassy of the country where the person died will contact the United States State Department, who will in turn notify the appropriate next of kin. That’s when it’s time to get moving with an executed and signed Next-of-kin Affidavit and a Letter of Instruction that details your wishes for the body’s repatriation.

There are some instances in which confirmation of the deceased is tricky, so the next-of-kin may be asked to provide dental or medical records to assist with confirming the identification of the body.

The exact process of body repatriation can differ slightly from country to country, but it’s important that you follow the laws of the country where the death occurred. There are generally three different methods of body repatriation. The first is Local Cremation and Return of Cremains. Cremation is usually available in most countries. However, cremation might be more costly or less available in countries that are predominately Muslim or Catholic. You can also choose Local Burial. Local burial is possible if the country in which the death occurred allows for burial of foreign nationals. The local embassy will generally make burial arrangements and send the next-of-kin the details.

There is also Preparation and Return of an Embalmed Body. In this method the body is embalmed at a funeral home in the country where the death occurred and then returned to the USA. Sometimes the embalming standards of the local country are not at the same level as American embalming, so a viewing of the body will not be advisable. Keep in mind that the next-of-kin will be responsible for all body repatriation costs as the US government does not have funds set aside for these instances. Embalming prior to repatriation is the most expensive, with local cremation and local burial coming behind. Also, it’s important to note that there might be extensive delays in body repatriation if the deceased was a victim of a crime as the local police will need to investigate.

If your family is put in the unfortunate situation of losing a loved one overseas, you need a funeral home you can count on. Deer Creek Funeral Service offers Oakland, CA cremation services with the compassion and expertise needed to help you through this difficult time. Call or visit us today to learn more about what we can do for you.

Death Certificates and Funeral Homes

A death certificate is an official document that formally declares a death. They usually list the date, time, location and cause of death as well as some other personal information about the deceased. You will need to get a death certificate for almost any service at a funeral home in Oakland, CA.

There are a lot of different reasons why you might need a death certificate, but they all have to do with proving a death. Some of the most common reasons you would need a death certificate are to access insurance policies, Social Security, property ownership, Veteran’s benefits, safety deposit boxes, last will and testaments, post office accounts, bonds, stocks or brokerage accounts, pension plans, treasury bills, IRAs, and tax records.

No matter what the reason you need a copy, there are a few different ways you can order a copy of a death certificate: through the funeral home that did the service or cremation, in person at your state’s vital statistics office, or online at your state’s vital statistics website. It’s important to note that not just anyone can access death certificates and copies. The only people that are eligible to get a copy of a death certificate are immediate family members like spouses, parents, children, siblings, or grandchildren or legal guardians, representatives, state agencies and federal agencies.

You must submit proof of relation to the deceased when applying for a copy of a death certificate with your state’s registrar. Proof of relation could be a birth certificate, legal document, or a letter stating how the applicant has legal representation rights to the deceased. There are some cases in which someone needs a copy of a death certificate, but they are not one of the eligible relations. For example, a cousin of the deceased might be eligible for death benefits but cannot access the death certificate. In these instances, the person must ask an eligible person or party, like a life insurance holder, to request the death certificate for them.

Though death certificate laws can vary slightly from state to state, they generally are required to be registered with a state’s Department of Health and Vital Statistics. If you need a copy of a death certificate you can visit your state’s vital records office to be issued a certified copy. Death certificates are not free. Their exact cost depends on your state and how you order them. For example, the cost of extra death certificate copies from the funeral home is probably different than the cost of copies from the office of vital statistics or the state’s website. You can make it easier to obtain death certificates quickly and affordably by having your funeral home or cremation provider order several directly from the state office.

Do you want to learn more about death certificates or Oakland, CA funeral homes? Call or visit Deer Creek Funeral Service today for more information on what we can do for you in your time of loss. We are happy to do whatever we can for you

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