Public Aid Guide

Check with Your Funeral Director

First check with the funeral director of your choice before making an application for assistance. The reason is simple. You may not yet be eligible for assistance. But, if you contact IDHS before making pre-arrangements, your options may seem to be more limited than you really would prefer. For example, funeral services may cost, say, $3,000, excluding merchandise. You are allowed $1,500 in exempt assets or $5,219 in an irrevocable trust. If you choose to not make your trust irrevocable, any amount over $1,500 will reduce your $2,000 cash asset. The BEST CHOICE for those seeking assistance is to elect the irrevocable option. This will protect more of your preneed account. In summary, you can have the service of your choice.

Arrangements properly coordinated in advance of application can legitimately apply important funds you may want set aside for your funeral. Your wishes will be clear to your survivors.

You may legally deposit funds needed to provide funeral arrangements of your choice. You should make your funeral arrangements well in advance of making application to the Illinois Department of Human Services. Such advance planning can provide you with options that you may not have if you wait until need is imminent and resources are insufficient to meet your preferences.

The IDHS has legitimate reasons for the limits in each category of exempt assets, but your funeral director can help you determine which arrangements may best meet your needs.

Too, it may be that you already have a pre-financed funeral with a funeral home. However, if it does not, for example, include a vault or cemetery opening and closing charges, you may want to set aside funds to cover items you select. You can protect other assets by following your funeral director's guidance prior to making application for assistance. Your existing agreement may need attention to assure that your assets, including earned interest, are still exempt.

The Illinois Department of Human Services allows $1,103 for the funeral and up to $552 for cemetery expenses when they pay for the funeral in the absence of other funds. Because this allowance is well below the funeral director's actual cost of operation, the merchandise included may or may not meet your desires or those of your survivors.

If this is the case, a non-responsible person may upgrade and pay for the casket and vault as well as additional services selected, up to a maximum of $2,000. The non-responsible party may also pay to the cemetery an additional amount up to $2,000 for services provided over the allowable reimbursement amount.