Agency
Newsletter
Last updated: Thursday,
May 23,
2013
Please
contact us if you find any out-dated information or if links aren't
working the way they should! We do our best to keep everything up
to date, but your help is appreciated! If you have any
information that you think is worthy of being included with the KSBMA
Newsletter, please let us know!
If you have any information you think would be helpful to others, please email or provide it to the KSBMA for consideration.
The KSBMA Office will be closed on Monday, May 27th in honor of Memorial Day. ADDED 5-23-2013
The next KSBMA board meeting is scheduled for: Thursday, July 18, 2013.
Mortuary College Statistics: The American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) reports in 2012 there were 1,589 graduates--the most since 2003. 53.4% were women.
There were 2,885 new enrollees with the most common age being between 21 and 25 years/30%, followed by 20 years old and younger (18.1%). The two most other common age groups were 26 to 30 years old (19.8%) and 31 to 35 years old (13%). 8.6% were 36 to 40 years old and 5.8% were 41 to 45 years old.
659 students left the program in 2012 with the most common reason being "personal reasons" (32.5), 30% for academic reasons, and 8% left due to a change in majors. The April 1, 2013 edition of the Funeral Service Insider has additional information. ADDED 5-15-2013
The American Society of Embalmers (ASE) is holding their 9th Annual Meeting on June 28, 2013 at Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, Illinois. Check their web site for details. In ASE's October 2012 Embalmers Quarterly Journal there is some good information pertaining to the benefits of viewing prior to disposition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommended adult immunization schedule and formaldehyde exposure product liability.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has a new online resource page for funeral directors.
A CNBC Original/Documentary: "Death: It's a Living" aired at 8:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 31, 2013. CNBC describes the program . . . as a 24/7 fiercely competitive business that everyone will eventually confront . . . CNBC's Tyler Mathisen profiled professionals of the death industry.
Some recommended funeral service reading from the March 2013 (NFDA's) The Director, includes: "Protecting Families and Your Firm from Negligent Embalming Litigation" written by Jzyk S. Ennis, "FTC Staff Issues New Funeral Rule Advisory Letters", and "A Survey of State Embalming Laws" both written by Scott Gilligan. ADDED 5-4-2013
Mr. Jim Sarks, CFuE, CCrE, has written an article that you might find helpful when reviewing your Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected. The article can be found on page A18 of the November 2012 edition of the Funeral Home and Cemetery News. How about you? Do you have you read any articles that you'd like to pass on? ADDED 5-4-2013
Since the Board began administering Assistant Funeral Director Examinations in 2008, a total of 141 individuals have taken the examination with 102 passing for a total success rate of 72.3%. Please take a look at the Assistant Funeral Director Examination page for filing deadlines and examination dates. UPDATED 5-3-2013
With funeral homes receiving quite a few fax/email scams, you might want to consider viewing the following web site. If you know of any other helpful sites or related information, please contact our office so we can share with everyone. We receive them here at the KSBMA also, so please beware! Two such recent emails include a subject line of PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE or FUNERAL HOME NEEDED and generally involve foreign countries. Pleas for assistance regarding the death of a loved one seem to be the most recent common theme--with information provided in the email lacking in detail. Again, please beware! UPDATED 5-15-2013
A direct link to the new forms provided by Kansas State University Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research is www.cancer.ksu.edu/award-programs. Contact information is available on their web site.
Some good reading material I've run across lately, includes: the Legal Speak column by Attorney Harvey I. Lapin titled "Confirm Authorizations Before Proceeding" in the August 2012 Funeral Home and Cemetery News, and Key Requirements of the FTC Funeral Rule in the August 2012 edition of The Director. We get quite a few phone calls on salaries for licensees, so you might want to read the June 18, 2012 edition of the Funeral Service Insider (FSI) as it has quite a few facts and figures for the time frame of 2010-2011. If you see any other articles you'd like to recommend, please let us know!
With all the discussion surrounding Facebook, you might be interested to read about the recent Supreme Court of Minnesota's ruling affirming a lower court's finding relating to a mortuary science student's post while in school. Unfortunately, the student in question died at the age of 31 just last week.
The Funeral Ethics Organization has a new information guide, Your Funeral Consumer Rights in Kansas, for 2012.
A reminder that if your funeral home wishes to return a medical device following authorization by the legal next-of-kin of the deceased, the number to call for Medtronic Neurological in Shawnee Mission, Kansas is (913) 469-8555. They will send funeral homes the proper mailing package upon request.
Crematory Operator Licensure Information
For those of you keeping track at home, we have issued 157 crematory operator licenses as of May 20, 2013. As of December 1, 2011, all cremations in the State of Kansas must be performed by a license crematory operator. UPDATED 5-20-2013
Coroner's Permit to Cremate--Some counties charge a fee when issuing a coroner's permit to cremate. You might want to consider asking if such a fee is being charged when arranging for this permit if you intend to pass the charge on.
Our current Rule Book is available on-line at no cost or through our office for $5 per copy. A new rule book with changes from the 2012 Kansas Legislative Session will be available later this year.
The current fax number for Arlington National Cemetery is: (571) 256-3334. This is the fax number to be used for sending scheduling documents to the Army National Cemeteries Program at Arlington National Cemetery. The old number has been discontinued. You can continue to email documents to anc.isb@conus.army.mil
Another good read can be found in the August 2011 edition of the American Funeral Director magazine, titled: "Metal Remains--Different Models Emerge to Promote Recycling Implants." Begins on page 32.
Senate Bill 303 became law on July 1, 2012 and concerns unclaimed cremated remains.
Don't forget to take a look at our Licensee Question of the Month to brush up on Kansas laws! We'd appreciate some suggestions for future questions!
On August 1, 2010 the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that the 100% air cargo screening protocols for Human Remains (HR) shipments became effective. The screening for human remains shipped by passenger airliners in the USA went into effect in February 2009 at the 50% level. There are several web sites available with useful information that you may want to look at, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and American Airlines (AA) Cargo. TSA will require 100% screening of international air cargo headed to the United States by December 31, 2011.
Senate Substitute for House Bill 2310 from the 2010 Kansas Legislative Session enacts new laws--including the licensure of crematory operators. Updated information can be found here.
There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding Alkaline Hydrolysis/Water Resolution in professional trade journals lately. Click on the hyper link to learn more about the process with information from the Biosafe/engineering web site.
The 2011 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics is now available:
The 2011 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics can be found at 2011 Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics
Some specific statistics can be found at the Vital Statistics Summary section of their report.
Our thanks to KDHE/OVS for providing this information and allowing us to share it with you!
Statistics from previous years (1998-2010) can be found at The Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics
The KDHE/OVS web site is located at Office of Vital Statistics
If you have any information you think would be helpful to others, please email or provide it to the KSBMA for consideration.
The KSBMA Office will be closed on Monday, May 27th in honor of Memorial Day. ADDED 5-23-2013
The next KSBMA board meeting is scheduled for: Thursday, July 18, 2013.
Mortuary College Statistics: The American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) reports in 2012 there were 1,589 graduates--the most since 2003. 53.4% were women.
There were 2,885 new enrollees with the most common age being between 21 and 25 years/30%, followed by 20 years old and younger (18.1%). The two most other common age groups were 26 to 30 years old (19.8%) and 31 to 35 years old (13%). 8.6% were 36 to 40 years old and 5.8% were 41 to 45 years old.
659 students left the program in 2012 with the most common reason being "personal reasons" (32.5), 30% for academic reasons, and 8% left due to a change in majors. The April 1, 2013 edition of the Funeral Service Insider has additional information. ADDED 5-15-2013
The American Society of Embalmers (ASE) is holding their 9th Annual Meeting on June 28, 2013 at Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, Illinois. Check their web site for details. In ASE's October 2012 Embalmers Quarterly Journal there is some good information pertaining to the benefits of viewing prior to disposition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommended adult immunization schedule and formaldehyde exposure product liability.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has a new online resource page for funeral directors.
A CNBC Original/Documentary: "Death: It's a Living" aired at 8:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 31, 2013. CNBC describes the program . . . as a 24/7 fiercely competitive business that everyone will eventually confront . . . CNBC's Tyler Mathisen profiled professionals of the death industry.
Some recommended funeral service reading from the March 2013 (NFDA's) The Director, includes: "Protecting Families and Your Firm from Negligent Embalming Litigation" written by Jzyk S. Ennis, "FTC Staff Issues New Funeral Rule Advisory Letters", and "A Survey of State Embalming Laws" both written by Scott Gilligan. ADDED 5-4-2013
Mr. Jim Sarks, CFuE, CCrE, has written an article that you might find helpful when reviewing your Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected. The article can be found on page A18 of the November 2012 edition of the Funeral Home and Cemetery News. How about you? Do you have you read any articles that you'd like to pass on? ADDED 5-4-2013
Since the Board began administering Assistant Funeral Director Examinations in 2008, a total of 141 individuals have taken the examination with 102 passing for a total success rate of 72.3%. Please take a look at the Assistant Funeral Director Examination page for filing deadlines and examination dates. UPDATED 5-3-2013
With funeral homes receiving quite a few fax/email scams, you might want to consider viewing the following web site. If you know of any other helpful sites or related information, please contact our office so we can share with everyone. We receive them here at the KSBMA also, so please beware! Two such recent emails include a subject line of PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE or FUNERAL HOME NEEDED and generally involve foreign countries. Pleas for assistance regarding the death of a loved one seem to be the most recent common theme--with information provided in the email lacking in detail. Again, please beware! UPDATED 5-15-2013
A direct link to the new forms provided by Kansas State University Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research is www.cancer.ksu.edu/award-programs. Contact information is available on their web site.
Some good reading material I've run across lately, includes: the Legal Speak column by Attorney Harvey I. Lapin titled "Confirm Authorizations Before Proceeding" in the August 2012 Funeral Home and Cemetery News, and Key Requirements of the FTC Funeral Rule in the August 2012 edition of The Director. We get quite a few phone calls on salaries for licensees, so you might want to read the June 18, 2012 edition of the Funeral Service Insider (FSI) as it has quite a few facts and figures for the time frame of 2010-2011. If you see any other articles you'd like to recommend, please let us know!
With all the discussion surrounding Facebook, you might be interested to read about the recent Supreme Court of Minnesota's ruling affirming a lower court's finding relating to a mortuary science student's post while in school. Unfortunately, the student in question died at the age of 31 just last week.
The Funeral Ethics Organization has a new information guide, Your Funeral Consumer Rights in Kansas, for 2012.
A reminder that if your funeral home wishes to return a medical device following authorization by the legal next-of-kin of the deceased, the number to call for Medtronic Neurological in Shawnee Mission, Kansas is (913) 469-8555. They will send funeral homes the proper mailing package upon request.
Crematory Operator Licensure Information
For those of you keeping track at home, we have issued 157 crematory operator licenses as of May 20, 2013. As of December 1, 2011, all cremations in the State of Kansas must be performed by a license crematory operator. UPDATED 5-20-2013
Coroner's Permit to Cremate--Some counties charge a fee when issuing a coroner's permit to cremate. You might want to consider asking if such a fee is being charged when arranging for this permit if you intend to pass the charge on.
Our current Rule Book is available on-line at no cost or through our office for $5 per copy. A new rule book with changes from the 2012 Kansas Legislative Session will be available later this year.
The current fax number for Arlington National Cemetery is: (571) 256-3334. This is the fax number to be used for sending scheduling documents to the Army National Cemeteries Program at Arlington National Cemetery. The old number has been discontinued. You can continue to email documents to anc.isb@conus.army.mil
Another good read can be found in the August 2011 edition of the American Funeral Director magazine, titled: "Metal Remains--Different Models Emerge to Promote Recycling Implants." Begins on page 32.
Senate Bill 303 became law on July 1, 2012 and concerns unclaimed cremated remains.
Don't forget to take a look at our Licensee Question of the Month to brush up on Kansas laws! We'd appreciate some suggestions for future questions!
On August 1, 2010 the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that the 100% air cargo screening protocols for Human Remains (HR) shipments became effective. The screening for human remains shipped by passenger airliners in the USA went into effect in February 2009 at the 50% level. There are several web sites available with useful information that you may want to look at, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and American Airlines (AA) Cargo. TSA will require 100% screening of international air cargo headed to the United States by December 31, 2011.
Senate Substitute for House Bill 2310 from the 2010 Kansas Legislative Session enacts new laws--including the licensure of crematory operators. Updated information can be found here.
There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding Alkaline Hydrolysis/Water Resolution in professional trade journals lately. Click on the hyper link to learn more about the process with information from the Biosafe/engineering web site.
The 2011 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics is now available:
The 2011 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics can be found at 2011 Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics
Some specific statistics can be found at the Vital Statistics Summary section of their report.
Our thanks to KDHE/OVS for providing this information and allowing us to share it with you!
Statistics from previous years (1998-2010) can be found at The Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics
The KDHE/OVS web site is located at Office of Vital Statistics
UPDATED 5-4-2013
Statistics
from the International
Conference of
Funeral Service
Examining Boards (ICFSEB)
for the NBE
(National
Board Examination)
for the first quarter (January 1, 2013 to March 31, 20130 as
provided by the
ICFSEB, are as follows:
| National
Board Arts Examination (NBA) |
Total Tested |
Pass # | Pass % |
Fail # | Fail % | Absent
# |
| First Time |
354 |
255 |
72% |
99 |
28% |
5 |
| Repeater |
130 |
48 |
37% |
82 |
63% |
5 |
| Total |
484 |
303 |
63% |
181 |
37% |
10 |
| National Board Science Examination (NBS) |
Total Tested |
Pass # | Pass % |
Fail # | Fail % | Absent # |
| First Time | 382 |
243 |
73% |
89 |
27% |
2 |
| Repeater | 103 |
40 |
39% |
63 |
61% |
5 |
| Total |
435 |
283 |
65% |
152 |
35% |
7 |
For a full listing of
quarterly
stats, please visit the web site of the ICFSEB
An Exam Services Hotline (479) 442-7062. In an attempt to further improve customer service, the ICFSEB has a hotline that will put the caller in direct communication with the Examination Services Department between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For
additional information, please go to the new and improved web site for the
International Conference of Funeral Service
Examining Boards: http://www.theconferenceonline.org/
ICFSEB's Spring
2013 Newsletter Past
ICFSEB
Newsletters
The
International
Conference of
Funeral Service Examining Boards (ICFSEB), 1885 Shelby Lane,
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704
Phone:
(479)
442-7076
Fax: (479)
442-7090
E-mail: info@theconferenceonline.org
My
Two Cents Worth is a column from the Desk of KSBMA Executive
Secretary Mack Smith.
Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) Information--
Information
regarding Facts for Consumers,
Funerals a Consumer Guide is located at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/funeral.shtm
Information
regarding Facts for
Business, Complying With the Funeral Rule is located at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/funeral.htm
Staff Opinions:
The
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made available online its
numerous staff
advisory opinions regarding interpretations of the
Funeral Rule. The opinions date back to 1994 and include the most
recent opinions which are summarized in a listing with links to view
and the ability to download the full text of the letters. Topics
include a wide range of subjects, including the use of computerized
displays of casket prices, charging a fee for refrigeration of bodies,
not being able to charge consumers extra for
storing a casket that the consumer bought from outside the funeral
home, not being able to charge an extra to dispose of the packaging
material from the
outside casket . . . If
you do
not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader
already installed on your
computer, please visit their site to download it--as the following
opinions are in pdf format:
Staff Opinion #13-1 Clarifies how funeral providers should disclose additional charges for atypical services on the GPL and . . .
Staff Opinion #13-2 Addresses Funeral Rule Requirements for disclosing charges for collecting insurance or trust proceeds.
Staff Opinion #12-1 Clarifies that all caskets that do not require special ordering must be listed on the casket price list . . .
Staff Opinion #11-1 Determines that funeral providers may not charge a non-declinable fee for disinfecting, washing . . .
Staff Opinion #10-1 Addresses third party casket delivery restrictions by funeral providers that unreasonably burden consumer choices.
Staff Opinion #13-1 Clarifies how funeral providers should disclose additional charges for atypical services on the GPL and . . .
Staff Opinion #13-2 Addresses Funeral Rule Requirements for disclosing charges for collecting insurance or trust proceeds.
Staff Opinion #12-1 Clarifies that all caskets that do not require special ordering must be listed on the casket price list . . .
Staff Opinion #11-1 Determines that funeral providers may not charge a non-declinable fee for disinfecting, washing . . .
Staff Opinion #10-1 Addresses third party casket delivery restrictions by funeral providers that unreasonably burden consumer choices.
Staff
Opinion #09-1
Discusses whether funeral providers may offer discount packages
conditioned on the purchase of a casket , and whether such packages may
discount the basic services fee. Written: February 17, 2009
Staff Opinion #09-2 Confirms that funeral providers must provide accurate price information by telephone to anyone who inquires about offerings or prices, including a business that will use the information for their own profit. Written: March 18, 2009.
Staff Opinion #09-3 Clarifies that Opinion 09-1 is limited to the issues discussed in that opinion.
Staff Opinion #09-4 Discusses the circumstances under which funeral providers should include the overhead cost of the use of a vehicle to obtain death certificates and permits in their basic services fee.
Staff Opinion #09-5 Confirms that cemeteries generally are not covered by the Funeral Rule unless they offer both funeral services and funeral goods.
Staff Opinion #09-6 Addresses whether a funeral provider may include a reduced basic services fee in its prices for direct cremation, immediate burial and forwarding and receiving remains.
Staff Opinion #09-7 Considers funeral provider liability for claims that a vault or casket is "waterproof."
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) reports that the FTC Staff issued an Opinion Letter on December 21, 2011 which holds that unless a funeral home is located in a state whose laws require identification prior to cremation, the funeral home may not require a family to purchase identification in order to obtain a cremation. You can read an article on this subject written by T. Scott Gilligan, NFDA General Counsel, appears on page 12 of the January 2012 KFDA Journal.
FTC
Funeral Rule Review:Staff Opinion #09-2 Confirms that funeral providers must provide accurate price information by telephone to anyone who inquires about offerings or prices, including a business that will use the information for their own profit. Written: March 18, 2009.
Staff Opinion #09-3 Clarifies that Opinion 09-1 is limited to the issues discussed in that opinion.
Staff Opinion #09-4 Discusses the circumstances under which funeral providers should include the overhead cost of the use of a vehicle to obtain death certificates and permits in their basic services fee.
Staff Opinion #09-5 Confirms that cemeteries generally are not covered by the Funeral Rule unless they offer both funeral services and funeral goods.
Staff Opinion #09-6 Addresses whether a funeral provider may include a reduced basic services fee in its prices for direct cremation, immediate burial and forwarding and receiving remains.
Staff Opinion #09-7 Considers funeral provider liability for claims that a vault or casket is "waterproof."
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) reports that the FTC Staff issued an Opinion Letter on December 21, 2011 which holds that unless a funeral home is located in a state whose laws require identification prior to cremation, the funeral home may not require a family to purchase identification in order to obtain a cremation. You can read an article on this subject written by T. Scott Gilligan, NFDA General Counsel, appears on page 12 of the January 2012 KFDA Journal.
By
a vote of 5-0, the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) has approved the publication of the
Federal Register notice closing the regulatory review of the Trade
Regulation Review on Funeral Industry Practices (the Funeral Rule)
and retaining the
Rule in its current form. For further information, please select
the following link: FTC Federal
Register Notice on Funeral Rule
UPDATED 5-20-2013
Assistant Funeral Director (AFD) Examination Filing Deadlines and
Examination Dates:
Filing
Deadlines
Examination
Dates (All
Wednesdays unless
otherwise listed)
| Monday, June 17, 2013 |
July 3, 2013 |
| Monday, July 15, 2013 |
August 7, 2013 |
| Thursday, August 15, 2013 |
September 4, 2013 |
| Monday, September 16, 2013 |
October 2, 2013 |
| Tuesday, October 15, 2013 |
November 6, 2013 |
| Friday, November 15, 2013 |
December 4, 2013 |
| Monday, December 16, 2013 |
Thursday, January 2, 2014 |
All examinations will be administered at the KSBMA office in Topeka at 1:30 p.m. on the dates indicated unless otherwise indicated.
Please note that applications and fees ($200--$150 application fee, $50 examination fee) must be filed with the KSBMA office BY the filing deadline in order to be eligible to be administered the examination the next month. AFD applicants who are serving a funeral director apprenticeship and submit an apprenticeship application with the AFD application will not be administered the AFD examination--as they will be administered the funeral director examination upon completion of apprenticeship. Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or if we can be of assistance.
Additional information regarding the assistant funeral director license:
Assistant
Funeral Director Application
Assistant Funeral Director Examination Application
Assistant Funeral Director Examination Information
Assistant Funeral Director Licensure Information (information for applicants and supervising funeral directors)
Assistant Funeral Director Examination Application
Assistant Funeral Director Examination Information
Assistant Funeral Director Licensure Information (information for applicants and supervising funeral directors)
NOTE:
Three
of the above are pdf documents. If you do not already have Adobe
Acrobat Reader already installed on your computer, please visit
their site to download it.
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) as it relates to funeral homes, cemeteries and crematory practitioners: That link is: Information on CJD relating to the funeral profession.
National Prearranged Services, Inc., Lincoln Memorial Life and Memorial Service Life Insurance Companies update. The Friday, August 7, 2009 edition of STL.com has posted a story: Funeral homes' CFO arrested for fraud. The August 6, 2009 edition of the Business Wire has posted a story: Reilly Pozner LLP Files Suit: $600 Million National Pre-Need Burial Insurance Fraud. The 130 page complaint can be viewed (in Adobe Reader/pdf format) at: complaint.
The
Funeral
Consumers Alliance has a
document available on-line on their web site under the section titled Frequently
Asked Questions/Documents Recycle Your
Medical Devices that could prove helpful. Items
discussed in the brochure include hearing aids, pacemakers and insulin
pumps.
Page
eight (8) of Postal
Bulletin 22242 (9-25-2008) contains information from Publication 52 Revision: New Option
for Mailing Cremated Human Remains. The United States
Postal Service (USPS) announced that it no longer requires a return
receipt and allows cremated remains to be shipped via registered
mail. Verification of the date and time of delivery for both
Registered Mail and Express Mail service is now available online or by
telephone--which has allowed the elimination of receipt service.
The third and fourth
sentence of 452.2 have been revised to
state: " . . . Mail pieces sent to domestic addresses may be sent
via Express Mail or Registered Mail service. Mail pieces sent to
an International address must be sent via Registered Mail service, and
the country listing in the IMN must show that cremated remains are
permitted and Registered Mail service must be available for that
country . . ." Those revisions will be incorporated into the next
Publication 52 available via Postal
Explorer. This
information comes from Mailing
Standards Pricing, 9-25-08.
KPERS Death
Benefit
Information This
is the
updated version of informational page provided by the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System
(KPERS.) NOTE:
This is a pdf document.
If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader
already installed on your computer, please visit their site to download
it. KPERS
Death Benefit Information For
more information, please check the KPERS web site:
http://www.kpers.org/deathretired.htm. For information pertaining to the KPERS Death Benefit and Funeral Establishments: http://www.kpers.org/funeralhomepolicy.doc.
http://www.kpers.org/deathretired.htm. For information pertaining to the KPERS Death Benefit and Funeral Establishments: http://www.kpers.org/funeralhomepolicy.doc.
The Estate Recovery Unit of the Kansas Health Policy Authority has contracted out work involving estate recovery to a private contractor, Health Management Systems (HMS). Funeral home inquiries to HMS should be directed to 1-800-817-8617 or 785-380-4331. Faxes can be sent to 785-215-6629 and can be directed to Ms. Angela Fernandez. Apparently the fax number also rolls over to email.
Veterans' Funeral & Burial Benefits--Information is available at the web site of the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA): http://www.funerals.org/faq/vet.htm
Cross
Connection and Backflow Prevention
Information
The issue of cross connection and backflow prevention came up recently when a Kansas funeral home was required to make some plumbing adjustments in their embalming/preparation room after being inspected by a representative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Division of Environmental Field Services. While the KDHE does not have specific regulations or statutes which pertain to protection of the public water supply from backflow/backsiphonage from a funeral home, Kansas does have broad regulations and statutes concerning the protection of public water supply, including:
KAR 28-15-18. See section (f).
To access all Kansas regulations, please select: Kansas Regulations and type in the regulation number (example: 28-15-18, then scroll down to section (f).)
KSA 65-163a, KSA 65-171g
To access all Kansas statutes, please select: Kansas Statutes and type in the statute number (example: 65-171g)
Additional information can be found under the KDHE's Bureau of Water and Engineering and Permits Unit where you will find information on the KDHE's minimum design standards entitled "Policies, General Considerations, and Design Requirements for Public Water Supply Systems in Kansas," 1995 edition.
Information and related statutes pertaining to Unclaimed Bodies can be found in an article written by Brian Vazquez titled "Kansas Dead Body Law." Brian is the Administrator of the Estate Recovery Unit of the Division of Health Policy and Finance (HPF.) The article was originally written for internal use by SRS field staff. Thank you for sharing, Brian.
Newspaper Obituary Costs
Funeral Homes--Please be sure to let families know up front what newspapers are charging for publishing obituaries. If possible, it would be nice to be able to tell families up front/prior to publication what the cost to publish an obituary will be. I received an email from an individual who was informed, after the fact, of a charge for publishing a large obituary that was much more expensive than they had imagined. If the family would have known up front what the charge was going to be, then they could have made a decision to either exclude some information or perhaps not to have run the obituary at all. One Kansas funeral home uses a computer generated form for preparing obituaries. After struggling with the confusion of which newspapers charge vs. those that do not charge, the funeral home added the following in large font and bold letters for their families not wanting to spend money for a newspaper obituary:
If anyone has any other suggestions or methods currently being used regarding the ability to inform families of newspaper obituary costs, please let us know--so we can share with everyone. Thank you for your assistance and willingness to contribute!
Thank you to Reuben Feuerborn for sharing this information with us, so we could share it with you.
Information regarding the Flag of the United States of America:
For information on the Flag of the United States of America, you can view information at the web site of the American Legion. Their web site discusses the flag, the flag code and folding the flag. Additional information can also be found at the Flag.
A web site listing information for Kansas newspapers can be found at USNPL.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a useful Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist with some related materials at:
http://www.cdc.gov/business
To view two generic
forms dealing
with KAR 63-7-2 and Crematory Record keeping, please
click here
.The issue of cross connection and backflow prevention came up recently when a Kansas funeral home was required to make some plumbing adjustments in their embalming/preparation room after being inspected by a representative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Division of Environmental Field Services. While the KDHE does not have specific regulations or statutes which pertain to protection of the public water supply from backflow/backsiphonage from a funeral home, Kansas does have broad regulations and statutes concerning the protection of public water supply, including:
KAR 28-15-18. See section (f).
To access all Kansas regulations, please select: Kansas Regulations and type in the regulation number (example: 28-15-18, then scroll down to section (f).)
KSA 65-163a, KSA 65-171g
To access all Kansas statutes, please select: Kansas Statutes and type in the statute number (example: 65-171g)
Additional information can be found under the KDHE's Bureau of Water and Engineering and Permits Unit where you will find information on the KDHE's minimum design standards entitled "Policies, General Considerations, and Design Requirements for Public Water Supply Systems in Kansas," 1995 edition.
Information and related statutes pertaining to Unclaimed Bodies can be found in an article written by Brian Vazquez titled "Kansas Dead Body Law." Brian is the Administrator of the Estate Recovery Unit of the Division of Health Policy and Finance (HPF.) The article was originally written for internal use by SRS field staff. Thank you for sharing, Brian.
Newspaper Obituary Costs
Funeral Homes--Please be sure to let families know up front what newspapers are charging for publishing obituaries. If possible, it would be nice to be able to tell families up front/prior to publication what the cost to publish an obituary will be. I received an email from an individual who was informed, after the fact, of a charge for publishing a large obituary that was much more expensive than they had imagined. If the family would have known up front what the charge was going to be, then they could have made a decision to either exclude some information or perhaps not to have run the obituary at all. One Kansas funeral home uses a computer generated form for preparing obituaries. After struggling with the confusion of which newspapers charge vs. those that do not charge, the funeral home added the following in large font and bold letters for their families not wanting to spend money for a newspaper obituary:
Please Publish This
Obituary In the Format In Which Your Newsletter Offers Free Of Charge!
If anyone has any other suggestions or methods currently being used regarding the ability to inform families of newspaper obituary costs, please let us know--so we can share with everyone. Thank you for your assistance and willingness to contribute!
Thank you to Reuben Feuerborn for sharing this information with us, so we could share it with you.
Information regarding the Flag of the United States of America:
For information on the Flag of the United States of America, you can view information at the web site of the American Legion. Their web site discusses the flag, the flag code and folding the flag. Additional information can also be found at the Flag.
A web site listing information for Kansas newspapers can be found at USNPL.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a useful Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist with some related materials at:
http://www.cdc.gov/business
Information on the Willed Body Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center regarding Bequeathing A Body NOTE: (This is a pdf document. If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader already installed on your computer, please visit their site to download it.
The
current address for the Estate Recovery Unit as was provided to the
KSBMA is:
Estate
Recovery Unit (ERU)
Division
of Health Policy and Finance (HPF)
P.O. Box 2428
Topeka, Kansas 66601
Phone: (785) 296-6707
Fax: (785) 296-8017
P.O. Box 2428
Topeka, Kansas 66601
Phone: (785) 296-6707
Fax: (785) 296-8017
Occupational
Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) Information
Kansas does not have a state OSHA Approved Program Plan. The telephone number to the Federal OSHA Regional Office (for Kansas) is: (816) 426-5861. For information pertaining to OSHA, please click here for the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA web site. The OSHA Site Index located at the top of their home page contains a lot of information that could prove helpful to licensees. For a full text of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, please click here. For the National Funeral Directors Association's (NFDA) Summary Page, please click here.
For information pertaining to Licensees In the Military Service, please select here.
For a roster of all Kansas Funeral Homes and Crematories With Refrigeration, click here. The list contains all licensed Kansas funeral homes and crematories with on-site refrigeration units, their address and their maximum storing capacity. We continue to update this list, so please let us know if you are aware of any changes, additions, deletions or corrections needing to be made.
If you are a licensee and you need to inform the Board of an address change, there are two ways to do so:
1) To send us updated information via email, click on the following link:
http://www.accesskansas.org/ksbma/changeofaddress.html
Simply complete the information and click on the Submit Change of Address button at the bottom of the form, or
2) If you wish to mail or fax us the information, click on the following link:
http://www.accesskansas.org/ksbma/pdf/changeofaddress.pdf
Simply print off the information and either mail or fax it to us.
This application is in .pdf/Adobe Reader format.
For a list of where
records are being kept for closed funeral homes, please select Closed Funeral Home Record Search
will allow you to see where records
of funeral homes no longer in business have been transferred to.
If you are aware of any additions or corrections to this list, please
contact us at boma1@ksbma.ks.gov
so we can make the appropriate changes.
Information
regarding the Social Security Death
Benefit of $255.00 can be located at: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/deathbenefits.htm
Information is
titled: "Survivors: What To Do When A
Beneficiary Dies."
The Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) has implemented a procedure
affecting those passengers attempting to
transport a crematory container on airplanes as carry-on baggage.
To view, please refer to the TSA Travel Tips website at: http://www.tsatraveltips.us.
Go to the "Air Travel" section and refer to the "Transporting
Special Items" portion - or you can call the TSA Call Center at (866)
289-9973. It may be necessary to reload this web site as it
doesn't always open on the first attempt. To get to the direct
link to the TSA section on Transporting the Deceased (Crematory
Containers), please click here.
You will need to scroll down the center section in order to view
information titled: "Transporting the Deceased." Transporting
Cremation Remains For information regarding traveling
with caskets/coffins, the TSA recommends that you check with the
individual carriers to determine their policies and procedures.
Web
Site Updates: "Funeral
Homes with Open Positions" and the "Individuals
Looking for Employment" are located under "Job Search."
A copy of the Tentative Agenda for the upcoming board meeting can be
found on the Agency Information portion of this web site or you
can select the following: Board
Meeting Tentative Agenda. The current
version of the
Funeral
Home Inspector's Report and Board Meeting
Minutes can be located under the section titled: Agency Information.
Select the following for the current continuing
education list and the
list of Approved
Correspondence/Home Study Programs. Select the following for
the most recent information on License
Listings", including individual licensees and the city directory
of funeral
homes.
We
are always in the
process of upgrading and changing our web site. Do you have any
suggestions for our web site? If so, please forward them to us
for consideration. We are always looking to provide additional
information for consumers and licensees. Corrections are always
appreciated!
Legal
Next-of-Kin - Our main page, under "What's New", contains a link
to K.S.A.
65-1734, which lists the order of priority of persons
authorized to dispose of decedents' remains. Please note that
this statute became law on July
1, 2011 with the passage of House
Bill 2060.
Private Burying Grounds - Our main
page, under "What's New," now also includes a copy of K.S.A.
17-1305 which addresses private burying grounds; control by the
county clerk; actions for damages.
Please note the
link on our main page under "What's New"
to our Memorial
Planning Guide. This guide is generic in nature and can be
used by all consumers to begin to prearrange their funeral
arrangements. NOTE:
(This is a pdf document. If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader
already installed on your computer, please visit their site to download
it.)
Informational
brochures ("Facts About Funerals"
and "Pre-Arranging Your Funeral
Arrangements")
are available at no cost through our office and can be located on this
web site on our main web page by selecting Facts about
Funerals or Pre-planning
Your Funeral Arrangements.
As
always, please do not hesitate
to contact Office Manager/Administrative Specialist Leslie Garwood,
Funeral
Home/Crematory Inspector Francis Mills or myself anytime we can provide
information, answer questions or be of assistance. A direct email
to Leslie is: boma1@ksbma.ks.gov.
A direct email to Francis is: boma2@ksbma.ks.gov.
If you discover any links not working or information needing updated,
we would appreciate you letting us know. Thank you in advance for
your assistance!
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Kansas
State Board
of Mortuary Arts - phone: (785)-296-3980 -
fax: (785)296-0891