INDIGENT BURIAL

What is Indigent Burial?

It is a service provided by the County to help with burial costs for impoverished residents of Tulare County.

Who may apply for an Indigent Burial?

Any family member, other concerned individuals, or the County Coroner.

Who is responsible for the payment of the cost?

• Surviving spouse
• Surviving adult children of the decedent
• Surviving parents

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What will be provided?

Tulare County provides direct cremation only for all indigent burials. No viewing will be allowed.

What type of funeral services are allowed?

No viewing, ceremonies or additional services are allowed under the Indigent Burial rules. If arrangements for viewing, or other services are made, no payments will be made by the County. The family or other responsible persons will then be liable for the full costs of all funeral home or mortuary services.

What will happen?

• The funeral home will have the body cremated. In cremation, the body is reduced to ashes, called cremains.
• The family, or another person taking responsibility for the cremains then claims the container or cremains at the County Coroner's office.
• At that time, the County will ask that the cost of the cremation be repaid. If the family or other responsible person does not have the resources to repay the County, the cremains may still be released.
• The Coroner will hold all cremains for 30 days to allow the family or other responsible persons time to claim them. If unclaimed, the cremains will later be interred in a community plot at the Traver Indigent Cemetery. Cremains can be claimed after internment only if claimant pays for the opening and closing of the grave.
• If the decedent owned a burial plot in Tulare County, that plot may be used instead. If eligible, veterans will be interred in the National Cemetery nearest to Tulare County. Native Americans may have their cremains interred in the reservation cemetery.

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Can there be a grave marker?

The County will not pay for a grave marker. The County will provide a numbered plot marker for the community interment site in Traver Indigent Cemetery, but no individual markers are allowed.

By law, all veterans are provided a grave marker, which may be placed in the National Cemetery nearest to Tulare County or in the Veteran's section of the Traver Indigent Cemetery.

What happens after I apply?

The Eligibility Worker who is assigned to your application will contact you. He or she will be asking specific questions regarding the decedent and the surviving family members. The questions will be about income and resources of both family members and the deceased. The applicant will be notified of the approval or denial of the applications.

Questions?

Please feel free to contact one of the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency TulareWORKs offices (pdf), or call us at 1-800-834-7121.