FTC Funeral Rule 5-10 Flashcards
Should be printed or typewritten, and must contain the following:
- The name, address, and telephone number of the funeral provider’s place of business, including (where relevant) the address and telephone number of each branch.
- The caption: “General Price List”
- The effective date of the price list
Identifying Information
- The consumer’s right to select only the goods and services desired.
- Embalming
- Alternative containers for direct cremation
- The basic services fee
- The casket price list
- The outer burial container price list
6 Required Disclosures on the GPL
In addition to the 6 required disclosures on the GPL, you must use ____ ____ given in the Rule. You cannot edit or paraphrase.
- You can include additional information, such as a reference to your own state laws, but you cannot change the FTC language or add anything that will modify the FTC language.
Identical Wording
Besides a non-declinable basic services fee:
- You should place this statement immediately above the prices of the goods and services that you offer.
- The statement should read:
- The goods and services shown below are those we can provide to our customers. You may choose only the items you desire. However, any funeral arrangements you select will include a charge for our basic services and overhead. If legal or other requirements mean you must buy any items you did not specifically ask for, we will explain the reason in writing on the statement we provide describing the funeral goods and services you selected.
Right of Selection
Except in certain cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. If you do not want embalming, you usually have the right to choose an arrangement, such as direct cremation or immediate burial, that does not require you to pay for it.
- Delete “except in certain special cases” if state or local law in the area where you do business does not require embalming for a viewing or funeral.
Embalming
If you want to add information about state law embalming requirements, you may do so ____ the FTC disclosure.
After
You should put the embalming disclosure in ______ _______ with the price for embalming.
Immediate Conjunction
Means that the embalming disclosure must appear directly next to the price for embalming. You should not put the disclosure on a seperate page or anywhere else on the GPL apart from the embalming price.
“In Immediate Conjunction”
If you want to arrange for a direct cremation, you can use an alternative container. Alternative containers encase the body and can be made of materials like fiberboard or composition materials (with or without an outside covering). The containers we provide are (specify containers).
Alternative Containers
You shoud place the alternative container disclosure in immediate conjunction with (directly next to) the price range for ____ _____. At the end of the last sentence, you should describe the specific kind of container(s) that you offer. If you don’t arrange ___ _______, you don’t need to include this disclosure in the GPL.
Direct Cremation
The fee for the professional services of the funeral director and staff.
Basic Services Fee
- This is added to the total cost of the funeral arrangements.
- Could include a charge for the services you perform in conducting the arrangements conference, planning the funeral, securing the necessary permits, preparing the notices, and coordinating the cemetery or crematory arrangements.
- This fee may also include overhead that you have not allocated elsewhere.
Basic Services Fee
- If you list a separate basic services fee and the charge is non-declinable (the customer does not have the option of declining the charge).
- Instead of charging a separate basic services fee, you can include the services fee in your casket prices.
2 Ways to Include the Basic Services Fee on Your General Price List
You must provide the following disclosure:
This fee for our basic services and overhead will be added to the total cost of the funeral arrangements you select. (This fee is already included in our charges for direct cremations, immediate burials, and forwarding or receiving remains.)
If you list a separate basic services fee and the charge is non-declinable (the customer does not have the option of declining the charge).
With this alternative, you must include the following disclosure:
Please note that a fee of (specify dollar amount) for use of our basic services and overhead is included in the price of our caskets. This same fee shall be added to the total cost of your funeral arrangements if you provide the casket. Our services include (specify)
Instead of charging a separate basic services fee, you can include the services fee in your casket prices.
For the basic services fee, if you choose option 2, the fee should include all charges for the recovery of overhead costs not allocated elsewhere, and you may add the phrase ____ ____ after the word “services” in the first sentence.
“And Overhead”
The basic services fee must appear on the GPL together with the prices for the ____ _____ or together with the casket price range if you have a separate Casket Price List.
Individual Caskets
You may list this on the General Price List or in a separate list. If you choose a separate list, your GPL should state the range of prices for the caskets you sell, together with the following disclosure:
A complete price list will be provided at the funeral home.
Casket Price List
Can have the list included or a separate list (very much like the Casket Price List). If you choose to have a seprate list, this is the disclosure:
A complete price list will be provided at the funeral home.
Outer Burial Container Price List
If you put this on the General Price List, you must include the following disclosure:
[In most areas of the country], [S]tate or local law does not require that you buy a container to surround the casket in the grave. However, many cemeteries require that you have such a container so that the grave will not sink in. Either a grave liner or a burial vault will satisfy these requirements.
- If the list is separate, this will be added on the seperate list rather than on the GPL.
- Delete “In most areas of the country” from the disclosure if your state or local law does not require a container to surround the casket in the grave.
Outer Burial Container Price List
- Forwarding of remains to another funeral home
- Receiving remains from another funeral home
- Direct cremation
- Immediate burial
- Basic services of funeral director and staff, and overhead
- Transfer of remains to funeral home
- Embalming
- Other preparation of the body
- Use of facilities and staff for viewing
- Use of facilities and staff for funeral ceremony
- Use of facilities and staff for memorial service
- Use of equipment and staff for graveside service
- Hearse
- Limousine
- Either individual casket prices or the range of casket prices that appear on the Casket Price List
- Either individual outer burial container prices or the range of the outer burial container prices that appear on the Outer Burial Container Price List
You Must List these 16 Specified Items of Goods and Services on the GPL, Together With the Price for Each Item.
- Can be in any order that you want
- Only have to list the items that you offer
- You may also list other items that you offer, such as acknowledgement cards and cremation urns.
- You may provide prices for package funerals, however, you must offer any package funerals in addition to and not in place of the required itemized prices.
- Should be accurate and up to date. Should reflect the prices that you actually charge your customers.
Required Itemized Prices on the GPL