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Frequently Asked Questions
General
Q: How do I receive burial assistance?
A: You will need to contact the funeral home or cemetery of your choice and ask them to apply on behalf of your family member or loved one who had died.
Q: Do I qualify for burial assistance?
A: To qualify for assistance to defray burial costs, the person who has died must have been covered by Medicaid in an eligible category including aged, blind or disabled. The deceased individual’s authorized representative may contact the local Division of Family Resources office for assistance in determining eligibility.
Funeral homes and cemeteries
Q: How do I return burial claim overpayments?
A: Contact the Accounts Payable office at claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov.
Q: How do I return excess funds from an estate, funeral trust or life insurance that was assigned to the funeral home?
A. Contact the state’s Estate Recovery office at estaterecovery@fssa.in.gov.
Q: Is there a limit to the amount of contributions that can be collected?
A. There is no limit on the amount of contributions that can be collected. If the decedent did not have a prepaid funeral, there is a limit/exemption on the amount that can be taken from the estate. No more than $1,750 for funeral costs and no more than $400 for cemetery costs can used from the decedent’s estate.
Q: Can you use both a trust and exemption for expenses?
A: No, prearranged funerals/trusts and life insurance policies assigned to the funeral home cannot use the exemption amounts from the individual’s accounts. You cannot use both a trust and the exemption from the individual’s bank/nursing facility accounts. For more information contact Estate Recovery at estaterecovery@fssa.in.gov.
Q: Is there an expense for vaults not purchased through the cemetery?
A: Vaults and urn vaults are only required for burials, so they will always be a cemetery expense regardless of who they are purchased from.
Q: A cemetery receipt can be obtained however, it will reflect our cost not the retail cost. Will that affect the amount of financial assistance provided by the state, or are you looking for proof that our funeral home did in fact purchase the vault?
A: The amounts on receipts are not always expected to be the same as the charge on the contract. Per the Federal Funeral Rule on price lists, the amount charged can be at your cost or higher as long as your price list identifies it as a markup; however, remember that the contract and claim form must match. Yes, the state is trying to verify that the funeral home did indeed pay for the listed cemetery expenses.
Q: What is the generally anticipated turnaround time for claims, assuming that you receive all information necessary at the time of submission?
A: The state’s goal is to process/send to Accounts Payable all received claims (that are in proper form) within 14 days of receipt. Accounts Payable’s goal is within 35 days of their receipt of an approved claim. For more information, go to claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov.
Q: When did the state stop accepting old claim forms?
A: We will be accepting old claim forms until July 1, 2020. New claim forms can be obtained on line at IN.gov forms (http://www.in.gov/fssa/forms.htm). Search for form number 35937.
Q: Does a W-9 form need to be included with each claim?
A: No, you only need to submit one W-9 form to the auditor of the state. You can submit it with your first claim or submit to claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov. The W-9 form is located at www.in.gov/auditor/2340.htm.