It’s another Monday and time for a round-up of things that are happening in the death care industry and should be of interest to anyone who works in that industry.  Today  we will tell you about government entities providing more space for veteran burials as well as one municipality that has come to loggerheads about how to proceed with a veteran cemetery on a former military base with a private partner.  We also are sharing some information on how some crooks are targeting funeral home customers with scams so that you can make your families aware of the scam.  We report on yet another funeral home that is being accused by authorities of taking pre-arrangement trust funds for their own use and finally, we share an article from the Huffington Post aimed at telling consumers how to save money when arranging a funeral.

• Funeral home customers in Madison County, Alabama have been called by someone claiming to be from the funeral home where they arranged their loved one’s funeral.  The caller, who says he is from the funeral home, mentions that the casket they chose needs to be paid for by credit card or it cannot be delivered on time to the funeral home for the funeral — every thing else is fine – they just need to pay for the casket.  As you can guess, it is not the funeral home calling, but a scammer.  You can learn more about this here and also get some tips from the North Alabama Better Business Bureau.

• Areas in New Mexico and Minnesota received federal grants to establish new United States Veterans Cemeteries.  Gallup, New Mexico received $6.7 million from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to fund construction.  The closest VA Cemetery is in Santa Fe – 200 miles away.  The grant will cover 443 pre-placed crypts, 140 in-ground cremation sites, and 400 columbarium niches, as well as all other aspects of a cemetery.  A $3.3 million grant has been awarded to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to build a veteran’s cemetery in Cass Lake in northern Minnesota.  The closest VA Cemetery is in Minneapolis — 224 miles away.

• In Orange County California a plan to build the county’s first military veterans cemetery at the former El Toro Marine base is facing some stumbling blocks.  The City of Irvine and private developer FivePoint have not been able to reach a conclusive agreement on how the land will be swapped and the development completed.  You can read about it here.

• In Boston, New York, former funeral home owner Elizabeth Wurtz has had a lawsuit filed against her by the New York Attorney General in relation to her operating the Wurtz Funeral Home since 2011 when she was ordered to shut the funeral home down.  She is also being accused of taking pre-need payments and using them for her personal needs.  You can read about it here.

• An article in the Huffington Post is entitled, “7 Ways to Save Money When you Die”.  Some suggestions include skip embalming, skimp on the casket, or go “rogue’.  It also offers this advice for veterans — “Be careful of private cemeteries that offer free burial plots for veterans — they may charge exorbitant prices for the spouse.’

Funeral Director Daily take:  There is always something happening in death care and there are always people who think they know best.  Our Monday column is a good way to find out what is going on in the industry in a few short minutes.

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