Pre-Planning

The single, kindest thing anyone can do for their family members is to Pre Plan their funeral. It makes a difficult time so much easier for the surviving family members. Simply put, Pre Need and Pre Planning are the acts of discussing funeral arrangements before they are needed. More and more today, people are making the decision to take a proactive approach to making their last arrangements in order to save their families the strain of trying to determine their wishes after they have gone.

Discussing your wishes ahead of time with Fox Funeral Home can give you the answers to the questions you and your family have. Whether you have an informal discussion with Fox or an in-depth planning appointment, the time spent will benefit you and your family by opening the lines of communication on a subject that is sometimes considered too difficult to approach.

If you are the person who will be making the arrangements for a family member that can no longer do it for themselves, a discusion with the Fox Funeral Home can provide you with the options available such as establishing a pre paid account or making other funding arrangements. This discussion could address:

Pre Need Not Funded

A personal file can be established at Fox Funeral Home which would contain your decisons concerning many of the items mentioned on our Services page or a record of a very general conversation touching on a few of these items. Having done this before the time of need makes this a much less stressful and emotional experience. Then when the need arises, you are prepared - not harried.

There is no charge for this service.

Pre Need Funded

Handled in a similar manner as the above, Pre Need Funded is defined as the actual funding of funeral arrangements prior to need in a more formal arrangement. There are many reasons to do this, some obvious and others not. The obvious would be the desire to eliminate the discussion of finances at a later date, or the ability to access the deceased funds, the establishment of a savings account to pay for an eventual certainty, etc.

The not so obvious reasons are that a pre-paid funeral account is a recognized spend down vehicle, it is recognized by Social Security as part of SSI/MEDICAID spend down policy to qualify for SSI/MEDICAID assistance and Nursing Homes require that your funeral arrangements be finalized before entrance.

Fox Funeral Home, Inc. participates in a statewide program established by quality funeral directors. These funeral directors are members of the New York State Funeral Directors Association. The program is called The Pre Plan.

The Pre Plan is a personal funeral trust established to protect the consumer through independent administration. In addition, it gives enhanced interest rates and the protection of numbers. Questions regarding such accounts can be answered by Fox Funeral Home, Inc. or the administrators of The Pre Plan.

New York State regulations are clear on pre-funding. Whatever monies are put aside are owned and remain in the control of the purchaser. These funds are:

Refundable . . . 100% principal and interest at any time.

The only exception to this New York State regulation is monies that are set aside as part of the SSI/MEDICAID qualification procedure. Please request our brochure and or pamphlet that discusses SSI/MEDICAID issues. If SSI/MEDICAID is a concern, the following should be understood:

"It was the judgment of Congress that persons should not have to choose between lifesaving welfare assistance and giving up their plan for the disposition of their bodily remains."

SSI/MEDICAID allows applicants to have:

Personal Items - clothing, furnishings, appliances, jewelry, equipemnt, cars.

Cash - $3450 per individual or $5000 per couple. (In hand, in the bank, in trust, in securities that are salable or existing whole life insurance.)

Prepaid irrevocable contract for funeral arrangements - no limit, no restriction on your plans and includes all normal associated items related to your funeral.

Remember - New York State requires that:

All pre-paid funeral accounts other than SSI/MEDICAID accounts must be 100% refundable principal and interest at the request of the consumer.

In addition, there are no charges for services performed in establishing such accounts or the discussion of funeral arrangements prior to need.