WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 31, 2017 15
COPING WITH DEATH
Special considerations for
Medicaid/SSI applicants & recipients
All citizens – regardless of
income – are entitled to and
deserving of both a proper funeral
service and a burial with dignity
and respect. In fact, federal and state
laws support this guiding principle in
a number of ways.
First, any person applying for
Medicaid/SSI can set aside funds for
the sole purpose of paying their funeral/
burial expenses as part of the
spend-down process to Medicaid/SSI
eligibility. The funeral/burial funds
set aside will not be counted as part of
the individual’s fi nancial resources. A
Medicaid/SSI eligible individual must
fi rst notify his or her caseworker that
funds will be set aside to pay their
funeral/burial tax expenses.
Second, New York State law requires
that 100% of these funeral/burial
funds be placed in an irrevocable trust
account, making certain that they will
be available when needed and used
for no other purpose than what they
were intended. A trust which is titled
‘irrevocable’ means that any refund
or withdrawal, for any purpose, will
and must legally be refused by the
funeral director and/or funeral trust
or fi nancial institution.
An applicant/recipient of Medicaid/
SSI may also set aside funds in
irrevocable funeral trust accounts
for the following immediate family
members: spouse, children, stepchildren,
siblings and parents, as well as
the spouses of those individuals.
Please note that when the original
purchaser passes away, the benefi -
ciary (family member) becomes the
new purchaser and taxpayer. If there
is any excess money in the preneed
account aft er the funeral and burial
charges have been paid, the overage
will go to the county where the decedent
resided.
The funds used to establish an irrevocable
preneed funeral account
must be used only for reasonable
and common funeral expenses for
such things as professional services,
transportation, facilities and merchandise,
as well as cash advances to
cover the cemetery and other related
charges.
Finally, the individual has the right
to use any funeral home they choose.
The funeral home selection may be
changed at any time, for any reason.
The New York State Funeral
Directors Association and its more
than 3,500 licensed funeral director
members helped to create the law that
allows Medicaid and SSI recipients to
plan ahead for their fi nal wishes.
Courtesy of NYS Funeral
Directors Association