Memorial Funeral Directory

Memorial Funeral Directory Obituaries

Can't afford to bury loved ones? Often, states can't help - WHSV

HR has paid for more than 10,000 indigent burials since 2011. The state allocated about $2 million for indigent burials this year."It used to be it would run out in May," said Charlie Mathena, of the Memorial Funeral Directory of Princeton. "Then it would run out in April. Then it would run out in March. And now at the end of February, we've exhausted all the funds. This is not an overnight issue."The last time the fund covered an entire fiscal year was in 2004, when the Legislature provided supplemental funding, according to DHHR spokeswoman Allison Adler.At least 17 states and the District of Columbia offer financial help for indigent burials, according to the Wisconsin-based National Funeral Directors Association. In other states, burial assistance is available at the county level.Paying for indigent burials has challenged other states, too.Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, suspended his state's fund two years ago to help with a budget shortfall. Payments resumed this fiscal year through the end of December, but the future is in limbo.In Indiana, a $1.6 million state appropriation for indigent burials "does not meet the current demands on the program," and an increase is sought for next fiscal year, said Jim Gavin, spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.While it's unknown whether the need is based on a surge in drug overdoses, such deaths in Indiana have risen every year this century, hitting 1,245 in 2015, according to federal figures.Besides West Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island offer burial funds and also rank in the to...