FSE2080 Funeral Law 4.1
What is the amount of the federal death gratuity for those members of the Armed Services who die on active duty?
$12,000
List the expenses which may be paid for by the Secretary of the Army for an Army serviceman who died while on active duty in the Middle East.
$12,000 allowance for cost of funeral expenses.
A local physician hates it when his patients die. (So does his patient)!! The physician takes out the anger by charging the funeral home a fee of $10 to sign the death certificate. What offense/penalty may the doctor be subject to?
-2nd degree misdemeanor - 60 days in jail and/or a fine of $500
What offense may a funeral director be guilty of, if they fail to file the death certificate?
-2nd degree misdemeanor - 60 days in jail and/or a fine of $500
You, a funeral director, are going to have an immediate burial for a deceased person in a small family cemetery which does not have a sexton. You choose to bury the deceased prior to obtaining a burial permit. What offense/penalty may you be subject to?
-2nd degree misdemeanor - 60 days in jail and/or a fine of $500
A family wishes to collect the insurance money from the death of their father. The father committed suicide, which the insurance company will not pay for. The family obtains a copy of the Death Certificate and changes the cause of death to Myocardial infraction (heart attack) and submits it to the insurance company. Other than insurance fraud, what offense/penalty may be family be subject to?
-3rd degree felony -punishable by a fine of $5,000 and/or up to 5 years in prison
The St. Petersburg Times recently came into the possession of a copy of the death certificate of former Governor Lawton Chiles and intends to publish the DC in the newspaper. The newspaper obtained the copy by giving $500 to the local registrar. What offense/penalty may the St. Petersburg Times be subject to?
-3rd degree felony -punishable by a fine of $5,000 and/or up to 5 years in prison
The family does not want their loved one to have the stigma of having died of HIV/AIDS. They request and the physician grants their request not to list HIV/AIDS as a contributing factor to the cause of death. What offense/penalty may the physician be subject to?
-3rd degree felony -punishable by a fine of $5,000 and/or up to 5 years in prison
For a fetal death certificate to be issued, the baby had to reach what week of life, though not yet being born?
20th week of gestation
What entity determines if a presumptive death certificate is issued?
A Court of law
Define dead body
A body or parts for which death occurred recently.
How long is the extension for filing a death certificate, if the extension is approved by the registrar?
An additional 5 days
List the methods of final disposition as described by the Department of Health.
Burial, interment, cremation, removal from state.
What information is confidential on a Death Certificate?
Cause of death
What information is confidential on a Fetal Death Certificate?
Cause of death, parentage, marital status, medical information
To whom does the funeral director give the Burial-Transit permit if the body is buried?
Cemetery personnel
To whom does the funeral director give the Burial-Transit permit if the body is cremated?
Crematory personnel
Define fetal death
Death prior to 20th week of gestation
Which state department oversees death certificates?
Department of Health
Who is responsible for filing a Death Certificate?
Funeral Director who took possession of the body.
On the way to the cemetery, you realize that you do not have the burial-transit permit with you. May the cemetery complete the service and burial and allow you to bring the permit to them later that day?
No. That would be a 2nd degree misdemeanor.
Is the scattering of the cremated remains following cremation considered to be final disposition?
No. The cremation is the final disposition
Where are aliases listed on the Death Certificate?
On the Name line if there is room. If there is not enough room, they are to be listed on the back of the DC and be recorded as part of said document.
Who may receive a certified copy of the "long form", that is a copy of the death certificate which includes the cause of death?
Only to family members
Which local registrar would issue the burial-transit permit if a person died in Pinellas County, had a visitation and funeral in Hillsborough County and was buried in Sarasota County?
Pinellas County
How long after death does a funeral director have to obtain a burial-transmit permit if there is no extension of time?
Prior to final disposition and within 5 days of death.
If a baby is born in the 30th week and following birth, the attending physician notices a single heart beat, which death certificate should be filed? Fetal or regular Death Certificate?
Regular Death Certificate
If a person dies in a National Forest, who is responsible for the expenses in transporting the deceased out of the forest?
Secretary of Agriculture
If a person dies in a National Park, who is responsible for the expenses in transporting the deceased out of the park?
Secretary of the Interior
If a funeral director buries a body in a cemetery which has no sexton, what should the funeral director do with the Burial-Transit permit?
Sign the burial transit with date of burial & write across the face of permit "No Person In Charge". Then file the permit within 10 days after burial with the local registrar of district where the cemetery is located.
A person dies in a Public Health Service Hospital. Who is responsible for the reasonable burial expenses of the deceased?
Surgeon General
Assuming there is no extension, when must a death certificate be filed by?
Within 5 days of death
How long after receiving the death certificate from the funeral director, does the physician have to sign the DC listing the cause of death?
Within 72 hours of receiving DC unless there are pending reports. If unable to sign, a 5 day extension may be granted.
Assume you are in charge of a retort. Prior to cremation, you are given the burial-transit permits. What do you do with those permits that are given to you?
You forward to the local registrar of the district within 10 days.
List the benefits that a prisoner of war (POW) is entitled to, if they die in the custody of the U.S. military?
expenses for notification, preparation, clothing, casket, transportation and interment.
When must a burial-transit permit be given to the person in charge of the place of final disposition?
prior to final disposition
