§ 2-05 Verification.
RCNY § 2-05
Verification of data supplied on the application form which are pertinent to the determination of eligibility or the amount of the grant toward burial expenses, is an essential element of this investigation.
(a)Documents, personal and collateral interviews, correspondence and conferences are means of verification. The Burial Claims Unit may require verification of all assets and resources that were available to the deceased at the time of death.
(b)All applicants shall be required to provide the Burial Claims Unit with the following documentation: (1) A Certificate of Death, which shall contain the name, date of death and place of death of the person to whom it relates and shall be properly certified by the local registrar, or a Certificate of Spontaneous Termination of Pregnancy. The Certificate of Spontaneous Termination of Pregnancy must be prepared in accordance with 24 RCNY Health Code Article 203.
(2)Two itemized funeral bills, indicating funeral charges, services and merchandise provided. The funeral bills shall be signed by the funeral director before a notary public.
(3)A true copy of the written Itemization Statement required to be furnished in accordance with § 78.1 of the regulations of the New York State Department of Health. Such statements shall include, but not be limited to, the price of the funeral together with the price of each item of service and merchandise actually furnished. True copies of the statement, pursuant to said regulations, shall be consecutively numbered and maintained in numerical order at the funeral establishment. The itemization statement shall bear the dated signature of both the applicant and the funeral director.
(4)A cemetery charge bill, if any.
(5)Such other documentation as may be required by New York City, whether in the possession of the applicant, the funeral director, or the cemetery.
(c)The funeral director shall be required to complete a prescribed form affidavit, provided by the Burial Claims Unit, where payment was made directly to the funeral home. The form shall include, but not be limited to, the following provisions: (1) An attestation that the funeral bill is ordinary and customary.
(d)A personal interview may be required with the fiduciary of the estate of the decedent. New York City shall assess the availability of assets in the deceased's estate to pay the burial expenses. In the event that the executor fails or refuses to cooperate in providing information about the assets and resources available to the deceased at the time of death, eligibility for a grant for burial expenses shall be indeterminable and the application shall be denied. In the event that a lawsuit has been initiated by the fiduciary of the estate, documents shall be obtained to identify all available funds.
