§ 2-01 General Statement.
RCNY § 2-01
(a)The laws of the state of New York require that New York City be responsible for the burial of poor people who reside here. New York City meets these requirements in two ways. For those deceased persons who do not have a friend or relative who is willing to arrange for burial, the deceased is interred in New York City's burial ground (known as "Potter's Field"). For those deceased persons who have a friend or relative who wishes to arrange for burial through a funeral director, New York City will help pay burial expenses if there is no legally responsible relative living with the deceased at the time of death or prior to the institutionalization of the deceased who is financially able to pay for the burial. These regulations explain when and how much New York City will pay for the burial expenses when the funeral was arranged by a friend or relative.
(b)Benefits will be provided in an amount not to exceed $800 if burial expenses do not exceed $1,400. The only exclusions from this $1,400 are the cost of the burial plot on behalf of the deceased and the grave opening or the cost of cremation and any costs required by the cemetery. All other costs will be included in determining the total costs of the burial expenses for purposes of determining the $1,400 limitation set forth above. Where a burial follows a cremation, only the cost of the cremation shall be excludable. Applications for benefits must be made in person by the individual who authorized the funeral unless the application is made by an "organizational friend" as defined in 68 RCNY § 2-02 "Friend" (2). Reasonable proof of indigency of the deceased and the legally responsible relative must be supplied. Proof of burial expenses must be supplied in order for payment to be authorized. The details of these requirements are described in the following sections.
