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Medicaid Applicants

Are You Prepared For Medicaid?

Many families don’t realize that the government allows you to prepay all funeral expenses before their financial resources are depleted in preparation for Medicaid. We work closely with Medicaid to ensure that your prearranged funeral meets their requirements. 

Irrevocable Trust 

It is important to know that consumers who are eligible for Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are entitled to prefund their funeral expenses by setting up what is known as an "irrevocable trust." These irrevocable trusts allow Medicaid and SSI recipients to set aside and designate funds for the sole purpose of paying their funeral and burial expenses without having to totally exhaust (spend down) their savings. Money deposited into irrevocable preneed trusts will not be counted as part of the recipient's financial resources. 

What You Can Fund 

For Medicaid, funeral arrangements are exempt from consideration as assets. In this way, an applicant can reduce their countable assets while also ensuring that their wishes about their funeral are respected. There is currently no financial limit or cap on what dollar amount may be funded. 

Whether you choose burial or cremation, you are allowed to fund for the following services and merchandise. 

Funeral Home Charges 

• Funeral home professional services (including transportation, embalming and preparation, staff, facilities, and vehicle charges) 
• Merchandise (including caskets, burial vaults, cremation containers, urns, urn vaults, memorial packages, flag cases, etc.) 

Out of Pocket Expenses 

• Honorariums (for clergy, organist, soloist, bag piper, etc.) 
• Newspaper notices 
• Certified copies of death certificates 
• Motorcycle escort 
• Cemetery charges (including purchasing new property, opening/closing charges and chapel and equipment fees) 
• Crematory charges 
• Monument services (including purchasing new markers and final lettering of existing monuments)