What are Virginia Pre-Need Contracts?
Please clickherefor questions and answers regarding pre-arrangement of funerals in Virginia.
What happens when someone dies at home?
If hospice is involved, you call the hospice nurse who will then come immediately to assist you. When ready, the hospice nurse will notify the funeral home to respond. If the person has not been in a hospice program then you must call 911 and have the rescue squad and police department respond because it is necessary that someone pronounce the person dead and have a legal record of the occurrence and circ*mstances. The police will notify the doctor or medical examiner and finally the funeral home when they are ready for the funeral home to respond.
What happens when someone dies in a nursing home?
In a hospital or nursing home, when a death occurs, the standard protocols of that healthcare facility will be followed. The next of kin will tell the healthcare facility the funeral home choice and the facility will, when ready, notify the funeral home, providing the information that will allow the funeral home to be in contact with the family.
Should the family contact the funeral home first or wait for the funeral home to make contact?
It is okay and encouraged that the family contact the funeral home directly. Sometimes delays in healthcare facilities procedures and paperwork prevent the funeral home from being notified for 24 hours or more. There are any number of reasons that can result in delays before the funeral home is notified of a death. This is time when the funeral director could be lending assistance and helping guide you through the next hours and days. When you are ready to talk, if you have not heard from the funeral home, don't hesitate to call the funeral home.
Is embalming required?
Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements such as viewing or visitation with an open casket.
How do I start to arrange a funeral?
Contact your funeral home and make an appointment. The funeral director will be able to assist with answering your questions and helping you plan. Read the Plan Ahead section of this website
Who files the death certificate?
It the responsibility of the funeral home to collect and electronically submit the vital statistic information on the Virginia Electronic Death Registration System. It is then assigned to the doctor for medical certification. This can take 48 hours or more. Once electronically signed by the doctor, it will be reassigned to the funeral home to file with the state. Once it is filed it will be assigned a state file number within a few hours. Once this file number is assigned we may obtain the certified copies from the local health department.
Can I personalize the funeral services?
Funeral and memorial services should be personalized to help you remember the life of your loved one. Photographs, videos, music, personal items such as sports memorabilia, golf clubs, hobby, crafts, work and military items such as hats, uniforms, tools, etc. all help to make that positive connection. Whatever reflects the memorable times and accomplishments in a life will help others to remember and heal.
Can I have a viewing and/or funeral and still be cremated?
Yes, you can have a traditional service with viewing and/or funeral and then be cremated rather than have traditional burial. The cremated remains may be interred, kept, scattered or a combination of those options. A "rental" casket shell with replaceable interior is available or you may purchase a casket designed for cremation.
Do you have to have a casket for cremation?
It is not necessary to purchase a casket for cremation. Our cost for a direct cremation includes the cost for the cremation container which is required by the crematory and state regulations.
Does someone have to be embalmed before being cremated?
It is not necessary for a person to be embalmed before being cremated unless you choose a service (such as with viewing) for which embalming is required.
What options do I have in services with cremation?
There are many options available to you when you choose to be cremated. Visitation and/or funeral followed by cremation, cremation followed by visitation and/or memorial service are all available types of services. Personalization of services whether with casket or urn is always helpful in making a service more memorable.
Can I provide my own casket?
You may provide your own casket. We may ask that you be present when your casket is unpackaged to inspect it for damages which may have occurred during shipping. Be sure to compare prices first with funeral home prices. Some direct purchase deals are not what they might seem.
Is a burial vault required by the State of Virginia?
Virginia has no burial vault requirement. Some cemeteries do have regulations which require the use of an outer container made of a durable material. Your funeral director can verify regulations for you.
Who can be buried in Arlington National Cemetery?
Those eligible for in-ground burial include:
- Any active duty member of the Armed Forces, except those serving on active duty for training purposes only
- Any retired member of the Armed Forces, who has served on active duty (other than for training), is carried on an official retired list, and is entitled to receive retired pay stemming from service in the Armed Forces on or before the date of death.
- Any former member of the Armed Forces awarded one of the following decorations: -Medal of Honor -Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force Cross or Navy Cross)-Distinguished Service Medal-Silver Star -Purple Heart
- Any former prisoner of war who, while a prisoner of war, served honorably in the active military, naval, or air service; whose last period of service terminated honorably; and who dies on or after Nov. 30, 1993
Are you required to put an obituary in the newspaper?
There are no legal requirements that an obituary be placed in any paper. Obituaries have changed over the past few years and sometimes are posted only on social media sites or just the funeral home website rather than in the paper. You can also place a smaller obituary in the newspaper and then a complete obit on one of the other options without incurring the cost of the newspaper.
How are obituaries put in the paper?
Usually the funeral home will assist you in writing and publishing the obituary. We are very familiar with the procedures and are happy to assist you with this. How the obituary is submitted to the paper varies from fax machine and email to completely automated online websites. Deadlines for papers vary as do the price per line/ per day publishing rates and additional costs for photos.
Where can I scatter cremated remains?
Scattering in the water as described by the E.P.A. must be done more than 3 miles from the closest point of land and be followed by the filing of a simple form within 30 days. Scattering on land may or may not be regulated by the locality or cemetery regulations. Check with the locality or cemetery before you scatter. Your funeral director, as a licensed entity, may choose to give the family the cremated remains and not take part in scatterings.
How long does cremation take?
The cremation process itself only takes a few hours, but exact times can vary. The cremated remains must cool down enough to be handled and processed, which may take several more hours. Starting the actual cremation requires that the death certificate be medically certified by the doctor and reviewed by the medical examiner who then electronically signs a state required Cremation Authorization Form. These are the details that can sometimes create significant delays.
Can any funeral home bury in any cemetery?
Yes, no cemetery may prevent any funeral home from conducting a service in their cemetery. There are no cost savings in using a funeral home located on cemetery grounds and frequently prices are considerably higher at those facilities than other locally owned funeral homes.
How do I obtain cemetery property?
Depending on the cemetery, you may purchase property directly from the cemetery or you may purchase from someone who owns the spaces but for various reasons will not use and would like to sell them. Small cemeteries often don't have offices and sales are strictly between property owners. Cemetery spaces are also available in the classified sections of the newspaper, and on Craig's List. Free of charge, R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home maintains a file of property owners who wish to sell one or more spaces in most of the cemeteries on the Peninsula usually at a cost much less than the listed prices.
Who notifies social security?
The funeral home is required by law to notify social security when a death occurs. If the death benefit continues to be paid for 2 months following the death, contact the funeral home to resubmit the required form.
Where do I find information about veteran's benefits?
Veterans' benefits may be researched atwww.va.gov, or by visiting the veterans section of our website.
What is the difference between family owned funeral homes and corporate owned funeral homes?
Most notably in corporate owned funeral homes it is the high cost of services and high pressure sales atmosphere that clearly set them apart from locally owned, family funeral homes. The mega-corporations pay commissions and bonuses to its sales staff and multiple levels of upper management creating an atmosphere of necessity for sales and meeting sales quotas as a requirement for continued employment. R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, an independently owned and family operated funeral home, does not pay commissions or bonuses to anyone for any type of sales performance or as a requirement for continued employment.
Family owned funeral homes are honored to serve the community where they live. The owners of corporate funeral homes are stockholders who have no local connections, no investment in the community and no focus of service beyond its ability to bring financial gain.
The question is why are you here in this community? Our family has lived, worked hard, gone to school, volunteered, and served this community for well over 100 years. Corporate funeral homes come into communities where they believe they can capture some of a market and increase their income.
What does a funeral cost?
The term funeral can mean many different things to many people. The average cost of a traditional funeral with burial today, including cemetery expenses, can be estimated at $10,000-$12,000 including headstone. Of course, there are many options in planning funerals/memorial services that can substantially lower the cost. Your funeral home is required by federal law to give you a General Price List. You only have to ask for it. They cannot require that you meet with a funeral director to explain it in order to receive it.
The average cost of a traditional style funeral with casket followed by cremation rather than burial is $5000-$6000.
The average cost of a cremation followed by memorial service is about $3500
Does the Veterans Administration pay for the burial of vets or retirees?
The VA may pay some burial benefit amounts to veterans or retirees:
- whose death is service connected
- who were receiving disability at the time of death
- who die in a VA hospital
Any funds are paid as a reimbursem*nt to the family for funeral, burial or cremation expenses.
The VA does provide (at no charge) burial space and grave opening in a National Cemetery along with a graveliner and headstone for the veteran, spouse, and dependent children. State of Virginia Veterans' Cemeteries provide a similar service of space, grave liner, grave opening and government headstone. There is a $400 charge for a spouse or dependent child. A headstone is provided by the government at no cost.
Can I use life insurance to pay for funeral services?
Life insurance may be used to pay for funeral services. We are happy to assist families with obtaining claim forms and filing the claims as well as preparing assignment forms (this is where the insurance company pays the funeral home directly out of the insurance proceeds and sends the balance to the beneficiary). R. Hayden Smith Funeral Homes never charges for this service.
How do I preplan a funeral or cremation?
Your funeral director is glad to sit down with you and preplan as much or as little as you would like. Some people feel the need to make every selection so that every detail is covered. This may include paying for the funeral ahead of time or not, it's up to you. Others just want to gather information for future reference. We keep files of funeral preferences in a secure location until they are needed.
Can I prepay for a funeral or cremation?
You may prepay for your funeral or cremation. The money is placed in an irrevocable trust with each item paid for clearly defined. With prepayment, we guarantee that the money placed in trust for services will earn enough interest to cover any inflation so that no additional cost would be due at the time of death. Money placed in trust for merchandise, cash advance items and sales taxes earn interest, however, we are not able to guarantee that there will not be a balance owed for these at the time of death.
Can I transfer my preplanned funeral arrangements to R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home?
If you have prepaid for your funeral arrangements at another funeral home and desire to switch to R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home or Berceuse Funeral and Cremation Traditions, you may freely do so at any time. Simply notify us and we will handle all of the paperwork for you.
What do I do if someone dies out of state?
If a loved one dies out of state, the best thing to do is call us. We can arrange to have your loved one returned to Hampton and assist you with the funeral arrangements. Always call your local funeral home if there will be no funeral services in the city where the person died..
*If you travel frequently, you might want to invest in a travel assurance plan. These plans are very inexpensive and cover costs to get your remains home if you die more than 100 miles from home. (Does not include your second home or if you are away for more than 6 months.)
Can I choose who arranges my funeral or cremation?
Virginia does allow you to designate a person to be responsible for planning your funeral or cremation. There is a very specific form which needs to be signed by you and the designee and notarized. We are glad to assist you with this and we have a notary on site during regular business hours. To download the Virginia Designee Form,click here
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