All people, regardless of income, should have the right to a respectful and dignified funeral - one that serves the cultural, religious and personal choices of the individual and family. A growing number of people are planning ahead, arranging and pre-funding their own funerals and burials. Most families agree that pre-planning can help bring peace of mind. Before applying for Title 19, you have the option to pre-pay your own funeral by spending down your assets.
Anyone applying for Medicaid is entitled to set aside funds for the purpose of paying their funeral/burial expenses as part of the spend-down process. The spend down is mandatory as part of the Title 19 enrollment process. Spending down and placing your funds into an Irrevocable Trust contract is a wise decision. Placing funds in pre-funded contracts is permissible by law. Current Title 19 regulations allow an individual to enter into and pre-fund one or both of the following types of contracts with our funeral home (all of these funds must be used to pay for funeral expenses):
IRREVOCABLE TRUST
An Irrevocable Trust can be pre-funded up to $10,000, according to Public Act 19-57 that was established in 2019. In addition, Department of Social Services has confirmed that existing $8,000 contracts may be increased to the new $10,000 limit without impacting the recipients Medicaid eligibility. Selections listed under the Irrevocable Trust include: non-declinable service charge, preparation of remains, transportation of remains, use of facilities, etc. Note that the $10,000 financial cap may not be sufficient to cover all of the costs to provide for the funeral of your choice. Once prepaid, an Irrevocable Contract cannot be cancelled or cashed in, but may be transferred to another licensed funeral home. We would be happy to review any documents you have and assist you in transferring an exisiting account to our funeral home.
BURIAL PLOT ALLOWANCES - REVOCABLE CONTRACT
A Revocable Burial Plot Allowance contract can be pre-funded in an amount for specific burial and cemetery items and services that meet your needs, without any dollar limitation, according to State of Connecticut General Statutes 17b-91(b) that was established in 2004. This kind of burial plot allowance contract can only include the purchase of the following burial plot items:
- Casket or Urn
- Outer Burial Container or Vault
- Cemetery Expenses (gravesite, opening and closing charges)
- Cemetery Monument, Marker or Mausoleum and Engraving
The family may choose and pre-fund any or all of these burial plot items of their choice. A Revocable Contract can be cancelled or transferred at any time that the person is on Title 19. But, according to law, if the Revocable Contract is cancelled, then the funds must be returned to the State of Connecticut.
We would be honored to sit with you and discuss your plans and your options for pre-funding a funeral contract for the service that YOU want while removing the decision making and stress from your family members.
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