| Thousands
of New Yorkers are choosing to preplan / prepay their
funeral and burial expenses.
Preplanning your funeral will allow you
to make your own arrangements. It is a loving gesture
for those you leave behind, relieving them of a decision
making process at a very stressful time in their lives.
You can take comfort in the fact that all the important
decisions have been made. Your family can be involved
in helping make decisions with you. It is a simple procedure,
in most cases it can be completed in less than two hours,
and allows you to select the type of services and merchandise
that you desire. And, even the smallest detail can be
addressed, ensuring that all of your needs and wishes
are satisfied. Advanced planning makes your particular
wishes known to your family. Families take comfort in
knowing that their loved one’s funeral reflects
their wishes.
Prepaying your funeral assures that your
family will not have to deal with monetary considerations.
It is a fiscally responsible approach for something so
important. It makes a great deal of sense to prepay funeral
/ burial costs, especially in New York State. Consumers
can prepay for their funerals and have their money protected
by what are truly the strongest laws in the nation. At
Lange Funeral Home, you have several payment options.
Most clients choose to prepay in full, others prefer to
work out a regular payment schedule. Regardless of your
decision, funds are forwarded within ten business days
to a trust account established in your name with The New
York State Funeral Directors Inc., Preplan funeral trust
program. The program was established in 1988 and currently
managers accounts for over 70,000 depositors. It is important
to remember that funds are deposited in an interest bearing
account where the principal and accumulated interest remain
your property. Upon written request, the funeral home
must advise you of the account balance, including interest.
If your account is revocable, upon written request, you
may withdraw the principal and interest at any time without
penalty.
It is very important to note that there
are special considerations in place for Medicaid and SSI
applicants and recipients. Consumers who are eligible
for either program are entitled to prepay their funeral
expenses by setting up what is known as an irrevocable
trust. These trusts allow Medicaid and SSI recipients
to designate and then set aside funds for the sole purpose
of paying their funeral and burial expenses. The funds,
under New York State law, cannot be counted as a financial
resource so your eligibility for Medicaid or SSI is not
at risk. The trust is made irrevocable in order that money
is available when needed and used only for funeral expenses.
Because the paperwork supporting this process must meet
very strict Federal and State requirements, Social Service
case workers and other personnel will require evidence
that the funeral arrangements exist and that they are
linked to the trust account as directed by New York State
Law. We have set up many irrevocable trusts for clients
that were in the spend down process and would be happy
to lead you through the documentation necessary to ensure
that your wishes are met.
If you have any questions, I would be pleased
to answer them for you. I can be contacted by telephone
at 434-1081 or by email at amy@langefuneralhomeinc.com.
To
begin the pre-planning process, fill out the information
below.
~ required fields are marked with an asterisk (*) ~
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