Most people never expect to become experts in funeral planning. Yet after the death of a loved one, families have to make important decisions within a matter of days. Even while dealing with the emotional aspect of losing a loved one, they still have to notify relatives, handle legal paperwork, and try to make sense out of the costs associated with death.
The cost of a funeral is surprising to many families. A traditional memorial and burial can exceed $10,000. While a traditional funeral with cremation instead of burial can lower that cost to around $6,000, that’s still a difficult financial challenge for many families. Some families choose a direct cremation, which includes only transportation and cremation with a viewing or memorial. Even so, costs range from $1,351 in the Melbourne–Titusville–Palm Bay area to more than $2,500 in Fort Walton Beach.
This guide will explain funeral assistance programs, including burial assistance for low-income families, and how you can get free cremation when you donate your body to medical science.
Funeral Assistance Programs
Most programs that provide financial help for end-of-life arrangements reserve funds for those in severe financial distress. For example, burial assistance for low-income families in Jacksonville must meet a long list of criteria, including:
- Your household income must not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
- You must be in a documentable crisis situation.
- You must have a delinquent, eviction, foreclosure or shut-off notice or loss of utility service.
You will also have to provide evidence of these claims, including all household income and resources over the past three months.
Before any funds are available, you will also need to exhaust any other resources you may have, including:
- Life insurance
- Funeral insurance
- Bank accounts or investments
- Prepaid funeral expenses
- Family resources
There may be funeral assistance programs that can reduce costs. For example, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides a burial allowance for eligible veterans or burial in a national cemetery for eligible veterans.
Burial assistance for low-income families in Florida may also be available through some local charities or religious organizations.
Whole-Body Donation Includes Free Cremation
A lesser-known alternative is donating your body to science. In Florida, United Tissue Network coordinates body donations, helping families eliminate the cost of cremation and make an important contribution to help improve the quality of care for future generations.
Since 2009, UTN has helped more than 20,000 families who choose to become whole-body donors. In return, United Tissue Network handles the arrangements when a loved one passes, and covers 100% of the costs associated with donation, including:
- Transportation from the place of death
- Placement with reputable medical education or research facilities
- Cremation expenses
- Return of cremated remains upon prior request
For families concerned about funeral costs, this can provide significant financial relief while honoring a loved one’s wish to contribute to science and medicine.
Advancing Medical Science in Florida
When you donate your body to science, you are helping medical students get hands-on education with human anatomy that will help prepare them for treating thousands of patients during their career. Donated bodies are also utilized for surgical training to perfect techniques and improve patient outcomes as well as researching diseases and testing cures and medical devices. Your donation may be the key to unlocking a cure for diseases or empowering the next generation of doctors to provide better treatments.
More than a dozen medical schools, teaching hospitals, and research facilities in Florida rely on cadavers for study, including:
- University of Florida – Gainesville
- UF Health Shands Hospital – Gainesville
- University of Miami – Miami
- University of South Florida – Tampa
- Florida State University – Tallahassee
- University of Central Florida – Orlando
- Florida International University – Miami
- Tampa General Hospital – Tampa
- Nova Southeastern University – Fort Lauderdale
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine – Bradenton
In fact, Florida boasts the fourth-largest concentration of biotech research facilities in the nation, along with the second-largest number of medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The state is also ranked in the top three nationally for the most active clinical trials.
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Learn More About Whole-Body Donation
United Tissue Network website is an accredited, 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates body donations in Florida and several other states. With offices in St. Petersburg, Donor Coordinators are available to answer your questions 24/7 or help you register to become a whole-body donor.
See if your family qualifies for free cremation in Florida today.
