Free Cremation Through State Funeral Assistance In New Jersey


Background
The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) will provide payment for cremation services on behalf of eligible individuals. Cremstar is registered as an official provider with DHS.

Eligibility
Individuals eligible for state public assistance funeral and burial funds include:
  • Newly approved (within 15 days death), eligible applicants or active recipients of these programs:
    • Work First NJ/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (WFNJ/TANF);
    • Work First NJ/General Assistance (WFNJ/GA);
    • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid Only;
    • Stillborns/deceased newborns of WFNJ, SSI and WFNJ/GA recipients.
  • WFNJ recipients in a NJ public institution (not a penal or correctional) where they died within the first six months
  • WFNJ/GA recipients who died while patients in hospitals
  • Medicaid Only recipients who lived in the community or in Medicaid approved facilities
  • Medically Needy recipients in nursing homes
  • SSI recipients in hospice care programs
  • Individuals in Adult Foster Care
  • Community Care Program for the Elderly and Disabled (CCPED) recipients
  • Individuals who died while satisfying WFNJ sanctions
  • Children of WFNJ recipients (eligibility is subject to the program's family cap)
  • AIDS Community Care Alternative Program (AACAP) recipients
  • Recipients of WFNJ/GA benefits at least six months prior to death
  • Those found eligible for Assisted Living Services based on Medicaid Only eligibility
  • Medicaid-eligible individuals in long-term care facilities who were not receiving Medicaid benefits at the time of death because they were under the care of a hospice agency (NOTE: Does not apply to those who received hospice care at home.)
  • New Jersey Care-Special Medicaid Program for Aged, Blind and Disabled recipients
  • SSI or Medicaid Only recipients who died in a New Jersey institution (not penal or correctional)
  • New Jersey Workability Program participants

To Apply
Ultimately, eligibility for financial assistance is determined by the DHS County Board of Social Services from the county in which the deceased was receiving benefits. This will only happen after the death has occurred.

Please make sure to read all of the eligibility requirements listed above carefully. Only  if the decedent meets one or more of these specific qualifications will they be considered eligible for coverage.

If this is not an immediate removal (i.e. as long as the decedent is currently located in a refrigerated morgue at a hospital, medical center, or the medical examiner’s office), and you would like Cremstar to check with the County Board on your behalf to see if the deceased is eligible, call us at (888) 802-0999. We will not have the time to verify Medicaid eligibility with the county office if the removal is immediate; i.e. if the decedent is not in a refrigerated morgue.

Please note that county offices may take as much as seven (7) days to inform us if the deceased is eligible. We will call you back with their judgment as soon as we hear. If they confirm the decedent's eligibility, we will provide you with a way to order online at no cost to you.
 

If you are in immediate need because a death has already occurred, order a direct cremation now. If a death is imminent (i.e. in a matter of days or weeks), visit the Cremstar Cremation Cost Calculator for a price quote and to email yourself a customized "Order Now" link so that you're ready when the death occurs. If you are planning ahead and want to lock in a price for the future, visit our Planning Ahead for Cremation section.