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Frequently Asked Questions

General

FSSA burial policy: https://www.in.gov/fssa/ompp/files/Medicaid_PM_4800.pdf

Indiana burial assistance program website: https://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/about-dfr/about-the-burial-assistance-program/

Q: How do I receive burial assistance?
A: You will need to contact the funeral home or cemetery of your choice and ask them to apply on behalf of your family member or loved one who had died.

Q: What is a quick link to all forms necessary for burial assistance?
A:  https://www.in.gov/auditor/forms/

Q: What are the categories that are eligible for burial assistance?
A: Category at time of death
MA A: Medicaid for the Aged
MA D: Medicaid for the Disabled
MA DW: Medicaid for the Disabled Working
MA B: Medicaid for the Blind
MA SI: Medicaid for the SSI 
MA R: Medicaid for Room / Board Nursing Home

Q: What is the maximum amount the burial assistance program will offer?
A: $1200 for funeral expenses. $800 for cemetery expenses .

Funeral homes and cemeteries

Q: How do I return burial claim overpayments?
A: Contact the Accounts Payable office at claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov.

Q: How do I return excess funds from an estate, funeral trust or life insurance that was assigned to the funeral home?
A. Contact the state’s Estate Recovery office at estaterecovery@fssa.in.gov.

Q: Is there a limit to the amount of contributions that can be collected?
A. There is no limit on the amount of contributions that can be collected.

Q: Can you use both a trust and exemption for expenses?
A: No, prearranged funerals/trusts and life insurance policies assigned to the funeral home cannot use the exemption amounts from the individual’s accounts. You cannot use both a trust and the exemption from the individual’s bank/nursing facility accounts. For more information contact Estate Recovery at estaterecovery@fssa.in.gov.

Q: Is there an expense for vaults not purchased through the cemetery?
A: Vaults and urn vaults are only required for burials, so they will always be a cemetery expense regardless of who they are purchased from.

Q: A cemetery receipt can be obtained however; it will reflect our cost not the retail cost. Will that affect the amount of financial assistance provided by the state or are you looking for proof that our funeral home did in fact purchase the vault?
A: The amounts on receipts are not always expected to be the same as the charge on the contract. Per the Federal Funeral Rule on price lists, the amount charged can be at your cost or higher as long as your price list identifies it as a markup; however, remember that the contract and claim form must match. Yes, the state is trying to verify that the funeral home did indeed pay for the listed cemetery expenses.

Q: What is required to be sent in with the claim submission?
A: We no longer require additional documentation to be sent in with the claim. We reserve the right to request additional documentation in case of questions and all documentation needs to be kept on file in case of an audit.

Q: What is the generally anticipated turnaround time for claims, if you receive all information necessary at the time of submission?
A: The state’s goal is to process/send to Accounts Payable all received claims (that are in proper form) within 28 days of receipt. Accounts Payable’s goal is within 30 days of receipt of an APPROVED claim. For further information, go to claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov for questions.

Q: When did the state stop accepting old claim forms?
A: We will be accepting old claim forms until July 1, 2020. New claim forms can be obtained online at IN.gov forms (http://www.in.gov/fssa/forms.htm). Search for form number 35937.

Q: Does a W-9 form need to be included with each claim?
A: No, you only need to submit one W-9 form to the auditor of the state. You can submit it with your first claim or submit to claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov. The W-9 form is located at https://www.in.gov/auditor/forms/.