The Service Tree lists all services in "branched" groups, starting with the very general and moving to the very specific. Click on the name of any group name to see the sub-groups available within it. Click on a service code to see its details and the providers who offer that service.
Death Certification/Burial Arrangements
Burial/Cremation Expense Assistance
Programs that provide financial assistance to help families who have lost a loved one pay for the funeral and/or the cremation or interment of the individual's remains.
Programs that provide grave sites for the earth burial of the remains of individuals who have died; mausoleum crypts for above ground interment; cenotaphs which serve as memorials to individuals whose remains are elsewhere or are lost; and/or niches in a columbarium for the storage of cremated remains.
Programs that conduct investigations, inquests, postmortem examinations and laboratory tests to determine the cause, manner and circumstances of death in all cases of natural death when the individual was unattended by a physician, and in all cases of unnatural death (homicides, suicides, accidents or deaths of a suspicious nature). The coronor's office is also responsible for correctly identifying the deceased and for making proper disposition of the remains. Also included are programs that pay for autopsies when required.
Programs that enable people to make advance arrangements for their funeral service and/or burial. Preplanning allows an individual to specify their wishes regarding the type of funeral service they prefer (green or conventional, religious or secular, public or private), the music, poems and readings they would like included in a service, the speakers, pallbearers or other individuals they would like to have as participants, people they would especially like to invite, the personal information they would like to have shared in an obituary, the type of funeral and burial accessories (caskets, urns, gravestones) they prefer and their preferences regarding the disposition of their remains. People also have the option of purchasing a burial plot or crypt and paying other funeral/burial expenses (or making other financial arrangements) in advance.
Home Funeral Planning/Support Services
Programs that provide assistance for people who want to plan a family-directed home funeral for themselves or a loved one. A home funeral can encompass a memorial service, wake or viewing, or a combination of the three. Friends or family members might help wash and dress the body, build or decorate a casket, plan a memorial service and/or accompany the deceased to the burial site or crematory. Services may include information about legal rights and requirements within the jurisdiction, help with necessary paperwork, assistance with the transport and care of the body for a home ritual or wake and other forms of support. Home funerals are legal in 43 states.