Some families are asked to decide the funeral while the parent is still at home on hospice. The conversation can feel like one more demand, and the paper can feel like something to sign just to be done. It is worth slowing down on the contract, because a prepaid plan is a set of promises that will be read years later by someone who was not in the room when they were made.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Start with the general price list
Under the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule, a funeral home has to give you its general price list when you ask about its services in person, and you may choose only the goods and services you want. Ask for the list before you talk about any package. Compare the items the plan names with the list. A package that includes a service you did not ask for, or that describes a casket by a range without naming one, is a reason to ask for each item separately in writing.
Read the clauses that change the price
Look for four things. First, whether the price is guaranteed, or whether it is an estimate that can rise. Second, where the money goes: a trust, an insurance policy, or the funeral home's own account. Each has different protections if the business closes or changes hands. Third, what happens if you cancel, and what refund the contract gives. Fourth, what happens if the person the plan is for moves out of the county or the home is sold. These answers are the paper's record of what it promised, and you need them in writing.
Check the words against what was said
Read the contract out loud with the person it is for, or with the family member who will carry it out. If a wish was spoken, such as a particular reading, a certain hymn, or cremation instead of burial, the paper should say so, or it should point to a separate document that does. A chaplain or a pastor can help you put wishes into words. The funeral home will act on the contract, so the wishes need to be in it or attached to it.
Keep the copies where they can be found
Keep the signed copy, the price list, and the receipt for any payment together. Tell one other person where they are. If the funeral is paid through an insurance policy or a trust, the family should know the company or institution and the account number, not only the name of the funeral home. A paper nobody can find is the same as no paper at all.
Where to get help with the reading
If a clause is unclear, ask the funeral home to explain it in plain words and to write the answer down. If the answer still is not clear, your state consumer protection office can tell you how to raise the question. The Sources page on this site lists the references this desk works from.