Memorial. funeral planning with F U N E R A L C R E M A T I O N C E M E T E R Y S E R V I C E S

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1 Dignity Memorial A consumer s guide to funeral planning with answers to your most common questions. F U N E R A L C R E M A T I O N C E M E T E R Y S E R V I C E S

2 Introduction

3 No one wants to talk about death or dying. Nor do they want to think about planning a funeral for someone they love. The death of someone you care for, together with wanting to make the right decisions especially when you have a limited amount of time to attend to all the details leaves many families feeling overwhelmed. Often, these decisions must be made when a family is grieving and is the least prepared. This booklet answers some of the more common, and more difficult questions that people have about funerals. It also tells you why many people choose the services of a Dignity Memorial provider. Your loss is hard enough; planning for it shouldn t be. At your time of need, the nationwide network of Dignity Memorial funeral providers will be here to assist you Dignity

4 HOW DO I CHOOSE A FUNERAL HOME? AREN T THEY ALL THE SAME? No, they are not the same. Funeral homes provide a valuable service to their communities by taking care of the deceased, as well as the bereaved. What differentiates Dignity Memorial providers from other funeral homes is much more than the size and condition of our facilities, convenient locations, competitive pricing, professional staff, and breadth of merchandise selection. Dignity Memorial providers specialize in offering exclusive Added Value Benefits designed to provide a higher level of funeral care before, during, and after the service, all backed by a 100% Service Guarantee. When choosing a funeral home, compare the benefits, aftercare products, and options offered by other funeral homes with those available only through Dignity Memorial funeral and cremation providers. You will quickly find there is a difference in service, quality, and value. What does that mean to you? Only that Dignity Memorial providers offer services, merchandise, and Added Value Benefits no one else outside of our unique network can match. Including: A 100% Money-Back Service Guarantee Bereavement Travel Services National Transferability of Prearranged Services Access to our Grief Management Library 24-Hour Compassion Helpline Aftercare Planner Everlasting Memorial Legal Services Membership Child/Grandchild Protection* Personal Planning Guide To locate a Dignity Memorial provider in your area, please call toll-free DIGNITY, or you may visit our website at DignityMemorial.com. *Not available in Maryland.

5 I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT FUNERAL PRICES, BUT WON T ASKING MAKE ME SOUND CHEAP? Not at all. The cost to arrange a funeral or cremation service can vary considerably from place to place. You should be careful to choose a funeral home that presents its prices clearly and simply. The Federal Trade Commission requires that you be presented with a copy of the funeral establishment s General Price List (GPL) on which all prices for the products and services offered by the funeral home should be listed. We invite you to visit any Dignity Memorial funeral provider and ask for a copy of their General Price List. Use that list and the benefits outlined in this guide to compare against the offerings of any local funeral home. Meet the staff, tour the facilities, and ask questions about their commitment to the communities they serve. We are confident you will find that Dignity Memorial providers offer services, merchandise, and Added Value Benefits no one outside of the Dignity Memorial network can match. In addition, Dignity Memorial providers offer a wide range of funeral and cremation options and prices designed to meet your every need, as well as provide a clear and easy explanation of the services. We have also simplified the funeral arrangement process by developing seven Dignity Memorial Funeral and Cremation Plans, designed to offer ease of decision-making, value, and simplicity. At your time of need, your local Dignity Memorial provider is here to serve you, as a part of North America s most comprehensive network of funeral, cremation, and cemetery service professionals Dignity

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7 CAN WE STILL HAVE A FUNERAL SERVICE IF CREMATION IS CHOSEN? Absolutely. Families are encouraged to hold and participate in tribute services, no matter if the final disposition is traditional ground burial, mausoleum entombment, or cremation. Choosing cremation does not limit your choices for remembering and memorializing a loved one. Today, you have many options when it comes to planning a cremation service. You may choose to have a traditional visitation and viewing, followed by a chapel service, and then the cremation. Or, you may wish to hold a memorial service in which the cremation has already taken place and the urn may or may not be displayed. Today, holding a memorial service outside of the traditional venue of a funeral home chapel or church is growing in popularity. Memorial services have become a celebration for the memory and life of the deceased. Many times, the memorial service is a catered gathering of friends and family members, creating a meaningful and personalized tribute to their loved one. Following the cremation, you also have many choices for the final disposition of the cremated remains. Cemeteries offer many options, including burial of the urn, placement in an urn niche, and many have outdoor scattering gardens. Even still, some families may choose to bring the urn home with them for permanent keeping. No matter what your preference may be, your Dignity Memorial provider can meet your needs and help you plan a meaningful service that is personalized to meet your wishes and to honor the life that was lived.

8 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ATTEND A FUNERAL SERVICE? A funeral service is an important part of the grieving process. For family members and loved ones alike, it provides an opportunity to express grief, share memories, and to celebrate a life lived. After witnessing the travel-related difficulty and expense encountered by those trying to arrange and attend a funeral service, Dignity Memorial providers partnered with one of North America s leading travel agencies to offer families substantial savings and professional travel assistance with airline, hotel and rental car reservations. The Dignity Memorial Bereavement Travel Program is offered exclusively through Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation, and cemetery service providers and can often offer significant savings on airline travel across the United States, as well as certain international destinations, including Canada. These savings are often lower than the standard airline "bereavement" travel fares and have fewer restrictions. Taking advantage of the travel savings offered through this program is easy. When you use the services of a Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation, or cemetery service provider, up to four members of your immediate family are eligible to receive special savings on airfares offered through the Dignity Memorial Bereavement Travel Program. And, if you select a Dignity Memorial Funeral or Cremation Plan, you will be able to extend the benefit to include unlimited family members and friends, as well as make return trips to settle estate matters and family business. Involving those most affected by a death can bring peace of mind and closure to surviving family members and friends. Helping to bring families together is just one more way Dignity Memorial providers offer a higher level of funeral care.

9 IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO PREPAY MY FUNERAL EXPENSES? Planning your funeral service in advance can take care of the details, while prearranging (prepaying for your services) can take care of the actual expense of the funeral service ahead of time. Prepaying for your funeral or cremation services can make good financial sense. If you plan to apply for Medicaid assistance, for yourself or a loved one, a prearranged funeral agreement can be beneficial in meeting your financial needs. In many states, a prearranged funeral service funded by life insurance may be treated as an exempt asset for Medicaid qualification purposes. This allows you to prearrange the service you desire while maintaining your Medicaid assistance eligibility. Many states have no maximum limit to the amount of a prearranged funeral service.* If you choose to prepay for your services be sure to ask if your prearrangements will be honored by another funeral home, if you move. Within the Dignity Memorial network, prearrangements are fully transferable and will be honored by any Dignity Memorial provider should you move more than 75 miles from your current place of residence. Your local Dignity Memorial provider offers affordable prearrangement options with low monthly payments. To learn more, or to speak with a Dignity Memorial prearrangement counselor, please call DIGNITY. *Please consult with your attorney or financial advisor before applying for Medicaid assistance to learn more about your state s requirements Effective January 1, 1997, New York State law mandates that all contracts for prearranged funeral arrangements executed by applicants for or recipients of supplemental social security income benefits or medical assistance be irrevocable Dignity

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11 HOW DO I GET HELP FOR A LOVED ONE COPING WITH GRIEF? The first reaction to the loss of a loved one is shock. This is the mind s way of coping. The numbness that shock brings dulls the pain and makes the first emotions possible to bear. After the shock wears off, the pain may get worse. You relive memories, over and over. You cry a lot. No two people grieve the same way. Your pain may be continuous and muted, or it may ebb and flow. Grief is an essential part of the healing process. We all have to go through it in our own way, but there are times when the counsel from others can help a lot, when talking to a compassionate professional can make the healing go faster. Your local Dignity Memorial provider knows that times of loss can be the most difficult on those left behind. As a part of our continued concern for the families that we serve, we are proud to offer the Compassion Helpline to help those in times of grief. It gives you somewhere to turn for help, especially if those who normally support us, like clergy, family or friends are unavailable, or are dealing with their own grief. The Compassion Helpline is a 24-hour-a-day counseling resource available to immediate family members for up to one year following the service. It is staffed at all times by licensed professionals specially trained in grief counseling. All counselors have advanced degrees, whether Ph.D.s or Masters in Social Work. By calling the toll-free number, you can talk confidentially at any time, day or night, to a professionally trained grief therapist who will support and guide you through this difficult time. After the service, you are not alone. Included in every Dignity Memorial Funeral and Cremation Plan, the Compassion Helpline is one of many exclusive Added Value Benefits that allows us to provide service beyond your expectation.

12 WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS MATTERS MUST BE HANDLED AFTER THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE? Many believe that a Will is all that is needed to handle the business affairs of a deceased loved one. Unfortunately, a Will simply leaves instructions for the handling of an individual s financial affairs. After the funeral service, settling the business affairs of the deceased requires your immediate attention. Notifying creditors, filing insurance and veteran benefit claims, collecting Social Security, closing bank accounts, and making necessary changes to business relationships must be handled. These responsibilities can be time consuming and burdensome especially at a time of grief. For some of us, the experience is emotionally overwhelming. After serving thousands of families over the years, Dignity Memorial providers recognized the need for an efficient organizational system to assist families in handling after-death business matters. The Aftercare Planner* was developed for families to help manage these important responsibilities and provides them with: 70 prewritten letters with instructions for completion A step-by-step organizational and tracking system An easy management guide A comprehensive Instructional manual, video, and CD ROM Tools you need to help reduce professional fees and unnecessary service charges. Anyone handling these complex matters will truly appreciate the guidance and help this tool provides. The Aftercare Planner is available exclusively from your local Dignity Memorial provider. *The Aftercare Planner may not be deemed to be rendering legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice.

13 HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED? Stories from your childhood, tales of great adventures with the closest of friends, photos of your wedding, with your mom, or on family vacations. The preservation of memories is the most important legacy we can leave to our future generations. That s why Dignity Memorial providers offer the Everlasting Memorial, an Internet archive where writings and images are collected and stored as a permanent memorial to a loved one. An Everlasting Memorial is a window into a life that can be shared across the oceans and beyond the boundaries of lifetimes, preserved and maintained in a lasting memorial. Future generations will be able to view and share a loved one s life in rich images and cherished words from anywhere in the world via the Internet. An Everlasting Memorial provides: A distinctive online memorial that can be personalized with photos, poems, stories, memories, and personal tributes from friends and family members. An electronic memory archive for preserving precious remembrances. A Care and Maintenance Trust Fund to protect your Everlasting Memorial for years to come. A secure foundation for an enhanced genealogical record, always expandable with more photos, tributes, and stories. The Everlasting Memorial is just another way Dignity Memorial providers offer a higher level of funeral care before, during, and after the funeral. For more information, or to view a panorama of lives honored in an Everlasting Memorial, visit DignityMemorial.com Dignity

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15 DO I HAVE TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY IN ORDER TO SETTLE A LOVED ONE S ESTATE? More than likely, you will need the assistance of an attorney in order to divide the property of the deceased. Wills generally have to be probated. That means the estate will be legally divided in an orderly procedure as outlined in the Will, and under a court s direction. This will typically include: The disbursement or conservation of assets Changing property deeds and titles Disposition of bank accounts Stocks and bonds Business assets Most of the time it s a simple process. If the deceased had extensive holdings or if the Will is being contested, the procedure may become more complicated. Unfortunately, if there is no Will, the estate will be probated according to state law. This may not be the way the deceased intended to distribute the estate. Understanding that legal matters will need to be handled after the funeral, Dignity Memorial providers offer the OmniLaw SM Legal Services Membership to assist families when seeking the guidance of a legal professional. Members receive unlimited confidential telephone consultations with a licensed attorney in their area for legal or financial matters for the period of one year. Some of the services provided through this plan include: family law, simple Will preparation, estate and financial planning, contracts, consumer matters, real estate matters, and accidents/ personal injury. Members also receive reduced rates on all other legal services, as well as a free customized financial analysis, enrollment in a discount prescription program, and access to a 24-Hour Emergency Assistance Line. To learn more about this, or any of our exclusive Added Value Benefits, please call DIGNITY.

16 I AM A UNITED STATES VETERAN. WILL THE GOVERNMENT PAY FOR MY FUNERAL SERVICE? Unfortunately, most funeral and burial benefits provided by the Social Security Administration, as well as the VA, are limited. Unless the death is service related, most families find that additional funding is necessary in order to provide the type of funeral service they find appropriate for their loved one. Under certain conditions, Social Security provides a one-time death benefit to the spouse of an eligible recipient. And, for non-service related deaths, the VA will pay up to $300 for burial and funeral expenses as well as a plot interment allowance up to $300, in lieu of burial in a National Cemetery. In addition, there are certain non-monetary recognition and service benefits that may also be available including a United States burial flag, a military funeral honors ceremony, a Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the current President, as well as a government headstone or grave marker. To find out exactly what benefits you are eligible to receive, contact the Social Security Administration at or visit their website at For veteran s assistance, contact the VA at or go to Your local Dignity Memorial provider will help you acquire, complete and submit many of the required forms. If you cannot locate or have misplaced your discharge papers, we ll gladly assist you in obtaining a new copy.

17 WHY SELECT A DIGNITY MEMORIAL PROVIDER? Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation, and cemetery service providers are the preferred choice of over 270,000 families in the United States and Canada every year. Our commitment to families is the foundation on which this distinctive network is built. With over 1,800 providers throughout North America, the Dignity Memorial network delivers a standard of service that is 100% guaranteed. Since introducing the first national brand for death care services, nearly 99% of the families we serve indicate a willingness to recommend the services of a Dignity Memorial provider to their friends and family. Dignity Memorial providers are dedicated to providing services in accordance with the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. The Dignity Memorial mark is a sign of trust, superior quality standards, and attentive care in the funeral profession. To speak with a Dignity Memorial provider near you, please call us toll free, DIGNITY ( ). The Dignity Memorial Network is a network of over 1800 funeral, cremation and cemetery providers doing business in 46 states. The Dignity Memorial Network includes affiliates of Service Corporation International, the world s largest death care company, with offices located at 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas, as well as many other fine independently owned and operated funeral establishments Dignity

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19 GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation, and cemetery service providers are known for their compassionate assistance to families at difficult times. But those who know us best also realize that our mission extends beyond the walls of our funeral homes and cemeteries. Members of the Dignity Memorial network sponsor programs that protect the vulnerable, comfort the bereaved, and honor the memory of public servants and the military. In dozens of ways, the mark of Dignity Memorial symbolizes our pride and concern for the communities we are privileged to serve. Family safety programs such as Dignity Memorial Escape School teach practical abduction prevention techniques to young children and strategies that may help older children escape safely should violence erupt in schools or other public places. Dignity Memorial Smart & Safe Living TM Program reinforces the behaviors that may keep seniors safe and free from victimization. We have a long-standing history of supporting public servants by providing dignified and honorable tributes, at no cost, for career and volunteer law enforcement officers and firefighters who fall in the line of duty through the Dignity Memorial Public Servants Program. Dignity Memorial providers also contribute honorable burials for homeless veterans who might not otherwise receive recognition for their service, and sponsor the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter scale replica of the national monument, which regularly travels to communities throughout the United States. For more information about our community programs, call DIGNITY for the provider nearest you.

20 The Dignity Memorial mark can be found only when funeral, cremation, and cemetery service providers meet our rigid standards of service. It s a symbol of trust, superior quality standards, and attentive care in the funeral profession. Dignity Memorial represents a national network of funeral, cremation, and cemetery service providers delivering the same high standards of service. Each and every Dignity Memorial provider is committed to service beyond expectation before, during, and after the service. We guarantee your complete satisfaction with a 100% Service Guarantee. For more information, or to find a Dignity Memorial provider near you, please visit us at Dign itymemor ial.com, or call us toll free at DIGNITY ( ). D-116 (4/08) 2003 Dignity Memorial Network, Inc.