A. Most people that prearrange their own funeral do so to spare their survivors unnecessary hardship at a time of loss. This can be as simple as having the information available on the form below for family members, to choosing all merchandise and funeral services and prepaying for them so that survivors will not face a financial burden at the time of death. At Wellingtons we offer both Trust Accounts and Life Insurance Policies to cover final expenses. All accounts are held separately and have the option to be transferred to another funeral home if the person should move away from the area. Most times a person can totally prearrange their funeral and set up funding for it in less than one hour, either at the funeral home or at their own home.
B. Often times a person is faced with the inevitable death of a loved one and desires to arrange services for that person in advance. This can be a very good idea because it will allow you to make sure there is time to gather all necessary information and to have time to speak to other family members about what their desires might be. It can also be a good time to discuss how financial matters will be taken care of for the funeral. Often prepaying for a funeral will preserve assets for survivors, as the cost of the funeral will be taken care of and not have to be taken out of the estate at possibly higher prices in the future.
C. Sometimes a family member is a resident of a long term care facility and faces the possibility of applying for public assistance (Medicaid) to cover ongoing care expenses after their own funds have been depleted. Massachusetts allows a person applying for Medicaid to have a prepaid funeral account up to $10,000 and a burial account of $1500 as a noncountable asset. By prepaying the funeral expenses into an irrevocable prepaid funeral account before applying for Medicaid family members can be spared the expense of a funeral at the time of death. At Wellingtons we are very familiar with all of the requirements to fulfill the Medicaid application process and will help in anyway we can.
Information Form Information that will be needed for: a death certificate, obituary and instructions as to personal desires for funeral services
1. Full Name (First, Middle, Last) 2. Maiden Name 3. Name of Spouse (If Wife include Maiden Name) 4. Residence 5. Sex 6. Race 7. Marital Status 8. Age 9. Occupation and years of service, if retired date of retirement 10. Social Security number 11. Veteran Status (a copy of discharge papers DD214 is helpful) 12. Date of Birth 13. Place of Birth 14. Name of Father 15. Birthplace of Father 16. Name of Mother (include maiden name) 17. Birthplace of Mother 18. Is Burial, Cremation or Entombment desired 19. Place of Burial (include cemetery name and lot number if known) 20. Desired location for Funeral Services (Church, Funeral Home, Graveside, Other) 21. Desired Clergy 22. Desired Hymns or Readings 23. Are calling hours desired (if so for how long) 24. Next of Kin (Name, phone number and mailing address) 25. Education (Names of schools, years attended, diplomas and degrees earned) 26. Detailed Career information 27. Church affiliation and involvement in church activities 28. Orders, Societies, Clubs (include positions held and awards received) 29. A listing of survivors and their city and state of residence (Spouse, Children, Brothers and Sisters, Grandchildren) 30. Wedding Anniversary Date 31. Hobbies or other interests 32. Suggestion for donations if desired in lieu of flowers