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Home My WebLink About2009-093 SECTION NUMBER DATE EFFECTIVE or ADMINISTRATIVE 04i07r09 4`, Miscellaneous 908 . 1 it ti � l ,II POLICY SUBJECT PAGE ItIndian River County Disposal of Indigent * *� Bodies (Burial and Cremation) 1 of 3 4f 0 f' MANUAL 4.. POLICY : It is the policy of Indian River County to adhere to the requirements of Chapter 406 of the Florida Statutes and provide dignified burial or cremation to Indian River County indigent residents or unclaimed bodies . Such service shall be through the use of cremation except where prohibited by law or regulation ; or where a relative has expressed a preference for burial , Indian River County shall make a reasonable effort to accommodate the request of the relative as provided within this policy. The coordination of burial and cremation services shall be handled through the Indian River County Human Services Department . COMMENT . 1 . Human Services shall make reasonable efforts to locate any of the decedent ' s relatives and a diligent search will be made to identify assets of the deceased to pay for costs associated with the final disposition of the body. Unless waived by the Human Services Director or designee, only the bodies of persons who die in Indian River County shall be considered to be the responsibility of Indian River County. 2 . Unless otherwise directed by the Medical Examiner ' s Office, all bodies , except for those unidentified, will be cremated . In the absence of a family member, relative or other designee of the deceased , the County Administrator or his designee is authorized to sign the approval for cremation . Should relatives of the deceased oppose cremation , they will be allowed to pay the funeral home directly for the additional cost incurred for burial . The County cost will be limited to the payment equivalent for cremation . 3 . This policy shall limit the amount of financial support that Indian River County will contribute towards either a burial or cremation . The amount shall not exceed $ 300 . 00 for cremation or $ 300 . 00 for burial . In either situation, the liability to Indian River County to underwrite such expenses shall only be afforded to those individuals who were determined to be indigent with no funds available to cover the cremation or burial costs . Indian River County Human Services Department will verify eligibility for such County contribution . 4 . In cases where burial is elected to be the means of disposition of indigent bodies , any individual or family shall pay the costs of such burial with Indian River County reimbursing its contribution of $ 300 upon invoice from the participating funeral home . In addition to the $ 300 contribution , Indian River County shall also provide a burial site at Winter Beach Cemetery at no costs . 5 . The Human Services Department will maintain internal operational procedures for implementation of this administrative policy and for working with funeral homes , the SECTION NUMBER DATE EFFECTIVE i '-- -� 04/07/09 ti r ADMINISTRATIVE Miscellaneous 908 . 1 � , lip � hl + .� PAGE 11 = 1a ' II POLICY SUBJECT �a Indian River County Disposal of Indigent '% Bodies (Burial and Cremation) 2of 3 ♦ f. () KS`t'� %'" MANUAL community, other Indian River County departments , state agencies , and other interested parties . A . Medical Examiner ' s Office : The Medical Examiner ' s Office will refer unclaimed bodies to the designated funeral home according to the procedures established with the Human Services Director . B . Oversight and Records : The Human Services Director will provide oversight for the fiscal management, operational activities , and program records . Co State Anatomical Board : Unclaimed bodies meeting the requirements of the Anatomical Board of the State of Florida shall be offered to the Anatomical board as required by Chapter 406 , Florida Statutes , and will become the responsibility of the State Anatomical Board for disposition . D . Claiming a Body : Nothing in this policy or in the procedures promulgated hereunder shall prevent relatives or others from taking responsibility for a body at any time . E . Veteran of Armed Forces : The County shall determine if the deceased is eligible for burial in a national cemetery by contacting the County Veteran Service office or the Regional Office of the U . S . Office of Veteran Affairs and if found eligible , the County shall make arrangements for such burial services in accordance with the provisions of 38 C . F . R . F . Disinterment : Relatives requesting disinterment for a burial authorized by Indian River County will pay all fees to cover all costs associated with said removal . G . Verification of Requests for Services : Upon receipt of a request for assistance with indigent cremation/burial expenses , the Department of Human Services shall investigate the request and verify the information accompanying the request . An investigation of the request for payment may involve assessment of, but not limited to , the following : a . A completed Burial/Cremation Intake Form b . Past employers c . Past landlords d . Schools e . Department of Health and Human Services f. Department of Veteran Affairs g . Social Security Administration h . Assets SECTION NUMBER DATE EFFECTIVE , !r `� ,, r ADMINISTRATIVE 04/07/09 r .. Ali F Miscellaneous 908 . 1 � � POLICY SUBJECT PAGE t'. tilt Indian River County Disposal of Indigent r'.1 # MANUAL Bodies ( Burial and Cremation) 3 of 3 I . Banking institutions j . Nursing Homes k . Insurance companies 1 . Friends or acquaintances of the deceased A request for assistance may be initiated by a relative , other individual , an undertaker, a nursing home or boarding home , a hospital , an institution, or a local law enforcement agency. H . Eligibility : A resident or non-resident , declared to be indigent, is eligible for an indigent cremation in the event of death in Indian River County. The Department of Human Services shall request that all hospitals and nursing homes operating in Indian River County identify non- county residents admitted to the institution , and in the event of death of the non- county resident, notify the Department of Human Services . The Division of Human Services shall then transmit a request for assumption of indigent cremation/burial payment to the county of residence . I . Insurance : The County will not accept a case if death benefits from insurance , donations or other funds are equal to or exceed County indigent cremation/burial payments . J . Inpatient Accounts : If death occurs while the deceased is a patient in a nursing home, the County shall request that the nursing home notify the Human Services Department of any funds which may have accumulated in the inpatient account . The County shall consider such funds in assessing the indigence of the deceased . If these funds exceed or are equal to County indigent cremation/burial payments , the County will not accept the case . If the funds are less than or equal to the eligible costs , the County will pay the difference between the funds available and the eligible costs . K. Other Death Benefits : if the deceased is eligible for any other death benefits , including, but not limited to , railroad retirement and/or union death benefits , which exceed or are equal to county indigent crematim /burial payments , the county will not accept the case . L . Reimbursements : The County will file for reimbursement of cremation/burial expenses from available sources including inpatient accounts , banking institutions and any other source . Approved by Board of County CommissionersApri 1 7 , 2009 Joseph E . Flescher , Vice Chairman DAFF