RSS Death Care Compliance Law

  • Preneed Fraud: What Statute of Limitations?
    A former Kentucky funeral director has been charged with multiple felony preneed thefts, some of which occurred 25 years ago.   Various news sources report that Donald Creech began pocketing consumer preneed payments as early as 1996. The consumer preneed payments were to have been forwarded to the Kentucky Funeral Directors Association’s master trust.   Until he... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Final Expense Life Insurance: Some Additional Considerations
    CNN underscored recently posted a good article about final expense life insurance.  Death care clients have been contacting us more frequently about this type of policy, and we will share some of their issues. Funeral homes are backing away from the conventional life insurance policy for some of the same reasons.  Large life insurance companies... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • One Question For the Appointee: Will You Honor the Autonomy We Gave the State Board?
    Dear Senator Schatz, We appreciate that your Senate Appointment Committee has a packed hearing date for April 20th.  So, the Missouri funeral industry not represented by the Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association requests a single question be asked of Ms. Solon: If confirmed as executive director of the Division of Professional Registration, will you... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • SB3207: Help to Small Illinois Cemeteries
    With legislation introduced this past January, Illinois could join those states which expressly authorize cemetery fiduciaries to take the unitrust election and make fixed distributions to cemeteries.  Senate Bill No. 3207 proposes to amend Illinois’ Cemetery Care Act to add provisions which would define ‘total return distribution’ and thereby allow care fund trusts to make... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Missouri’s State Funeral Board: What’s Next?
    With Governor Parson withdrawing all four of his Missouri Funeral Board appointments, the industry is asking what will happen next.  The Governor’s office had been watching the festering dispute between the Division and the State Board, but was unsure whether the industry cared.  While the MFDEA’s support for the Division acting director was undeniable, the... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Setting the Record Straight: Opposition to the Missouri Division of Professional Registration
    When an Association Press story broke a few months ago, the MFDEA response was to suggest that the reporter had been influenced by individuals who were anti-Governor Parson and anti-Division.  But the reality is that funeral directors opposed to Ms. Solon’s actions are supporters of Governor Parson.  Multiple parties reached out to the Governor to... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Setting the Record Straight: The Inspection Dispute
    MFDEA members like one past president have written to the Governor to commend the Division acting director for having put an end to the State Board’s “photographic surveillance” of funeral homes.  This past president of MFDEA stated that instead of actually inspecting the funeral home, the Board inspectors were taking pictures which were then reviewed... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Setting the Record Straight: Derailing Missouri Preneed Reform
    In this post we are breaking a rule that we have followed since the startup of the blog: maintaining the anonymity of a source.   In our post Derailing Missouri Preneed Reform we referred to our source as having an irrefutable reputation within the industry.  Those who follow this blog instantly understood that the statement had... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Setting the Record Straight: Preneed Audits will be Delayed Until Further Notice
    In an earlier post we reported how the acting director for the Division of Professional Registration advised the Governor that State Board changes were needed to be made “to increase efficiency and fiscal responsibility.”  Improvements were needed, “especially with inspections and financial examinations”, and that there could be potential cost savings of $200,000.  In a... […]
    Bill Stalter
  • Setting the Record Straight: The Autonomy given State Boards
    An issue lost in the debate whether to confirm the Gubernatorial appointments of Sheila Solon and four members to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors is the autonomy granted to state boards by the Missouri Legislature through RSMo. Section 324.001.11.  Through subsections (3) and (4) the Legislature limits the Division of Professional  Registration’s... […]
    Bill Stalter
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