The Burial Assistance Program was established by the state of Indiana to help with burial costs for those who are eligible in specific categories of Medicaid. Additional assistance may be offered through township trustees to qualified low-income or indigent residents. The Social Security Administration may also provide some limited financial assistance as well.
Key Points to Know
- Only funeral homes and cemetery representatives can file state form 35937 on the behalf of the deceased.
- Funeral homes, cemeteries and sometimes local trustee offices will call to confirm the eligibility status of the person who has died prior to meeting with you to make arrangements. The trustee may also call as part of their process to determine if they will offer additional assistance to defray burial costs.
- The claim packet must be filed in proper form within 90 days from date of death.
- Follow up with the funeral home/cemetery to ensure they have submitted your decedent’s claim packet.
- A claim cannot be filed prior to the date of death.
- Approved burial assistance funds are submitted directly to the funeral home and/or cemetery checking account.
- The state does not reimburse family members.
- The state does not dictate the type of funeral/burial service you arrange with the funeral home or cemetery.
- Funeral homes and cemeteries should be able to assist you with making arrangements that are affordable for you and the deceased.
- The Indiana Burial Assistance guide can give you more detailed information on program
- County identification numbers for funeral homes submitting claim forms.
- Burial provider agreement
- Please note that the Burial Unit, 800-403-0864, and FSSA Accounts Payable play different roles in the claim approval and payment process. The 800 number will provide Health Coverage Status and the category so you can determine if the individual is categorically eligible for burial assistance. If found to be in a correct category for burial assistance, then you may submit a claim for review. No one can state how much money will be received (including the burial unit) until the completed claim is submitted and processed.
The individual on the phone will be able to give you the information that you require to complete a burial claim which is the case number and the category of assistance. There has been no change with the burial eligibility categories. Burial assistance eligible categories are:- 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
- Please note that the Burial Unit, 800-403-0864, and FSSA Accounts Payable play different roles in the claim approval and payment process. The 800 number will provide Health Coverage Status and the category so you can determine if the individual is categorically eligible for burial assistance. If found to be in a correct category for burial assistance, then you may submit a claim for review. No one can state how much money will be received (including the burial unit) until the completed claim is submitted and processed.
Any other category received for the person in question is not eligible for burial assistance.
The individual on the phone will not be able to answer any questions related to the burial assistance claim itself. If you have additional questions, please call 317-234-1412 or email IndianaBurialClaims@fssa.in.gov with any questions specific to claim processing. Please refrain from using this mailbox or number to check Medicaid status.
Burial claim submission and processing
Please see the steps below for burial claim submission and processing.
Step 1: Call 800-403-0864 to verify Medicaid case number and Medicaid category information to complete the claim form.
- Funeral providers may use prompt #7 to determine if someone is on a burial assistance Medicaid category. The prompt number can be chosen without the need to listen to all prompts.
Step 2: Submit claim by fax at 317-234-5075 or email to IndianaBurialClaims@FSSA.in.gov for processing by the DFR Burial Unit.
Step 3: Burial assistance claim is reviewed and processed and sent to FSSA Accounts Payable
Step 4: FSSA Accounts Payable reviews and processes invoice.
Step 5: Invoices are then paid 35 days after invoicing.
We do hope that this process will allow for quicker response times and better service to all. If there are any issues, please report to cc@fssa.in.gov.
Indiana Burial Claims’ contacts
- 317-234-5075
- indianaburialclaims@fssa.in.gov
General
- What is the FSSA burial policy?
The FSSA burial policy is available here.
- How do I receive burial assistance?
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.
- Where can I find the necessary burial assistance forms?
Claim forms can be found at the following link: https://www.in.gov/fssa/forms.in.gov/. Search for form number 35937.
- What are the categories that are eligible for burial assistance?
The client must be eligible at time of death. The categories include:
- 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
- What is the maximum amount the burial assistance program will offer?
$1200 for funeral expenses. $800 for cemetery expenses.
Funeral homes and cemeteries
- How do I return burial claim overpayments?
Contact the Accounts Payable office at claimsinfo@fssa.in.gov.
- How do I return excess funds from an estate, funeral trust or life insurance that was assigned to the funeral home?
Contact the state’s Estate Recovery office at estaterecovery@fssa.in.gov.
- Is there a limit to the amount of contributions that can be collected?
There is no limit on the amount of contributions that can be collected.
- Can you use both a trust and exemption for expenses?
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.
- Is there an expense for vaults not purchased through the cemetery?
Vaults and urn vaults are only required for burials, so they will always be a cemetery expense regardless of who they are purchased from.
- 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?
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.
- What is required to be sent in with the claim submission?
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.
- What is the generally anticipated turnaround time for claims, if you receive all information necessary at the time of submission?
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.
- Does a W-9 form need to be included with each claim?
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/.