§ 38-1. Funeral assistance for indigent residents.

The White County Board of Commissioners wishes to establish policies and procedures for financial assistance for the decent interment or cremation of deceased indigent residents of White County.

Now, therefore, the following policy and procedures are hereby adopted:

(1)

Policy. When a resident of White County dies and the deceased, his family and immediate kindred are all indigent and unable to provide for the decent interment or cremation of the deceased, the board of commissioners shall make available from county funds a sum sufficient to provide a decent interment or cremation of the deceased indigent person or to reimburse such person (other than immediate family) as may have expended the cost thereof voluntarily, the exact amount thereof to be determined by the board of commissioners.

In that this assistance is only provided to those who qualify as being indigent, meaning no other sources are available for a decent interment or cremation of the deceased and there may not be any contribution/additional funds to upgrade an indigent burial or cremation.

The applicant for indigent burial or cremation is responsible for contacting the funeral home of choice, the funeral home will explain the burial or cremation available under indigent assistance.

(2)

Application. An application for indigent burial or cremation at the county's expense must be made by a relative or representative of the deceased. The application must be complete with signatures of all next of kin attesting to their indigent status.

In the event that next of kin cannot be located, a funeral home or convalescent home may make application for indigent burial or cremation to White County.

Applications can be obtained from the county clerk.

(3)

Determination of eligibility. The county clerk will review the application for completeness. Once the board of commissioners' office has a complete application on hand, the county clerk will evaluate the application in order to determine eligibility.

The deceased person must have been a resident of White County at the time of death to be eligible for indigent burial at county expense under the provisions of this resolution.

If the application is denied, the county clerk will send a letter stating this to the applicant and funeral home.

(4)

Extent of assistance. If the deceased and immediate family is determined to be indigent, the county clerk will request an invoice from the funeral home and process the payment through the county finance department directly to the funeral home. The county will pay up to $800.00 for the decent interment or cremation of the deceased indigent person, but shall not exceed the lessor of the costs of interment or cremation in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 36-12-5 et seq.

If the deceased person dies owning property and/or personal possessions, the property and/or personal possessions, including any life insurance, retirement income or annuities, shall first be applied to the cost of interment or cremation. Funds will be provided pursuant to this chapter in an amount such that, when the funds are added to the property and/or personal possessions owned by the deceased at the time of death, a total of $800.00 will be available for burial or cremation.

(5)

Reimbursement to county. In the event a deceased person was determined to be eligible for indigent burial expenses at the time of death and it is later evident that the estate has funds that would categorize the deceased as ineligible for indigent burial funds, White County may file a claim against the estate and recoup the funds so expensed for indigent burial.

The funeral director shall agree that he shall receive no funds whatsoever from any of the deceased's family, estate, friends, or other sources except those funds be applied to the cost of the interment or cremation and deducted from the amount provided by the county.

(Res. No. 2013-06, 5-20-13)

Editor's note

Res. No. 2013-06, adopted May 20, 2013, did not specify manner of inclusion; hence, codification as § 38-1 was at the discretion of the editor.