More families are now choosing cremation services as an alternative to traditional burial in Long Beach. Here, we give you a brief guide to cremation services, including what types are available and how to arrange the most affordable one.
Funerals have typically been expensive, sometimes amounting to over $15,000. This does not include burial plot fees, which can be super expensive in New York due to the lack of cemetery space.
Why Choose Cremation?
Deciding whether to bury or cremate is a personal choice. For some families, the decision is dictated by the money they have available to pay for a funeral. A cremation service will cost less than a traditional burial funeral.
On average, a cremation service will save you at least 40% on the cost of a burial. Sometimes, you can save as much as 60% on the cost of a burial service. More families are also selecting cremation as it offers greater flexibility. The funeral service does not have to go ahead immediately. Instead, a cremation can be performed, and the immediate disposition of the body dealt with, and then a service held at a later date convenient to the family.
The economy has definitely impacted on how we are changing our approach to death care today. Many families simply cannot, or do not, want to spend unnecessarily on funeral costs. A cremation provides a simple, efficient, and economical means to conduct a disposition.
What are the average funeral costs in Long Beach?
This is not a simple question to answer, as funeral costs can vary significantly depending on the type of services and products selected and the funeral services provider used. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) reports that the median cost for a full traditional funeral as of 2022 is $7,848. This does not include cemetery fees.
How much does a cremation cost in Long Beach?
Firstly, a cremation WILL save you on funeral costs. There is no requirement for a casket, cemetery plot, or burial vault, which alone saves thousands of dollars.
Generally, embalming is not required when a cremation is performed, so overall, you can save on many funeral expenses. A cremation will cost at least half, if not less, than the full cost of a burial funeral.
The cost of a cremation will depend on the type of service you select. The most simple cremation can start at $595, but a full-service cremation will cost upwards of $4,000.
How much is a direct cremation in Long Beach, NY?
A direct cremation can be conducted in Long Beach for as little as $595. This is what is known as a “direct cremation.” No services are performed. The deceased is collected, transported to the funeral facility, prepared for cremation, and the cremation is conducted. The cremated remains are returned to the family in a temporary plastic urn.
Call DFS Memorials now at (516) 406-8141 to arrange a low-cost cremation for $595
What type of cremation services are available?
You can select from a range of cremation services and packages. These will start with a basic cremation without any additional services, which is the cheapest type of cremation package. You can have a full-service funeral that is followed by the cremation, a cremation followed by a memorial service, or just a viewing followed by a cremation.
Cremation offers versatility in your options and when and where any services can be held.
Understanding the legal requirements for cremation in Long Beach
A cremation cannot be performed until the medical examiner’s office issues a cremation permit. The legal next of kin must sign a Cremation Authorization Form. There is a mandatory wait period of 24 after death in New York before the cremation can proceed.
It is not necessary to embalm a body for cremation, and refrigerated storage preserves the body until the cremation is performed. The funeral home will generally store the body for up to five days at no extra charge. If the cremation does not go ahead within five days, an additional fee for storage may be incurred.
What can we do with the cremated remains?
Cremation offers some greater flexibility in what you can do with the cremated remains once you have them returned. You can, of course, inter them in a grave plot or niche. However, you can choose to store them in an urn at home or scatter the cremated remains. There are also options such as having cremation artifacts made from cremated remains, and there are many artifact options these days as cremation has become more popular.
Preplanning an affordable cremation service
If you wish to preplan a simple cremation, you can lock in a low cost cremation price. This may depend upon your age when setting up a prepaid cremation plan. A cremation plan can be set up using an insurance policy where the funds are put into a trust.
You can also opt to preplan your cremation service without prepaying. This ensures that your surviving family can proceed with arrangements at the time of need without worrying about completing the paperwork or making difficult decisions. The money to pay for the cremation can be put aside in a POD account (Payable on Death), which your beneficiary can draw out upon death immediately without probate.
The deceased had no life insurance – is there any help with cremation costs?
It is sadly a reality that more folks are passing without leaving the means to pay for their funeral. If you are faced with this situation, you need to explore what help may be available to you.
Social Security pays out a $255 lump sum death benefit (if you qualify), and your funeral director can assist you with this.
The support for indigent burials differs greatly by state and county. Some counties offer some financial assistance to low-income families, whereas in other counties, only county indigent dispositions are conducted. To find out what may be available, you should contact the Nassau County Human Services Department at (516) 227-8519.
If the deceased is at the Morgue
Suppose the deceased was the victim of a crime, or there were unusual circumstances surrounding the death. In that case, the deceased’s body may be taken into the care of the coroner for an examination to determine the cause of death. You will need to employ the services of a funeral director as soon as possible to coordinate the release of your loved one from the ME’s office.
A deceased person can only be released into the care of a licensed funeral director. Many funeral homes are familiar with liaising with the Medical Examiner to have the body released as quickly as possible.
You may also find that a simple, direct cremation can be arranged at a very low cost when the deceased is in the Coroner’s morgue. All the paperwork can be expedited quickly, and the process of transferring the deceased to the funeral facility is simplified.
Address of county coroner’s office: 2251 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY 11554 Phone: (516) 572-6400
We hope this short guide has helped answer some of your immediate questions and provided some help in understanding how you can arrange an affordable funeral or cremation service in Long Beach, NY. If you need to research more information on funeral planning, please visit the Funeral Resources section on US Funerals Online.
I have been researching and writing about the death care industry for the past fifteen years. End-of-life services and experiences are topics most people avoid thinking about until they must face them. My work provides comprehensive and independent resources for families, explaining the workings of the funeral industry, the laws governing funeral practices, and the death care trends that impact consumers. With a BA in Cultural Studies, I bring a unique perspective to analyzing cultural death care rituals, complemented by a career background in Business Management. The death care industry is undergoing significant changes, which I find fascinating. The shift towards cremation services and the emergence of sustainable alternatives like aquamation and human composting are of particular interest. I am also intrigued by how technology is reshaping the funeral planning process and experience. I write for US Funerals Online and DFS Memorials LLC, and contribute to various forums and publications within the death care industry.
