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Miller-Dutra Coastside Chapel Funeral Home Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do when a death occurs?

Please contact us immediately at 650-726-4474 as soon as a death has occurred. Our caring and supportive staff is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year to assist you and ensure that every detail will be taken care of from start to finish.

When a death occurs at home…

Contact your physician or hospice nurse. If there is no attending physician or hospice nurse available, contact your local Police Department or Emergency Services and they will advise you further. Before our funeral home can transport your loved one from the place of residence, there must be an authorization from a primary physician, hospice nurse or qualified emergency personnel. Once we receive clearance from one of the above and the death has been pronounced, our funeral home should be contacted immediately. We will dispatch our professionally trained personnel who will arrive at the residence in a timely manner to transport the decedent to our funeral home. Our funeral staff will contact the next of kin for an appointment to finalize services and final disposition.

When a death occurs in a nursing home or health care facility…

The nursing staff should have our funeral home information on record and they will contact our funeral home upon your request. The nursing staff will also contact an attending physician or local coroner. Once our staff has been notified, we will dispatch our personnel to provide transportation of the decedent to our funeral home. Our funeral staff will then contact the next of kin for an appointment to finalize arrangements for services and final disposition.

What important documents do I need to make funeral arrangements?

Listed below are a few items that may be useful in assisting you or the next of kin during an arrangement conference. These items and all information should be brought with you to the funeral home and given to the funeral counselor at the initial time of arrangements.

  • Advance Health Care Directive (durable power of attorney for health care) if applicable
  • Deceased’s Social Security number
  • Deceased’s Birth Certificate
  • Veterans discharge papers (DD214)
  • Cemetery documents
  • Newspaper notice information
  • Clothing and dentures for viewing (include undergarments)
  • Recent photo for cosmetics and hairstyling

During the arrangement conference, your funeral counselor will need to obtain biographical and legal information about the deceased. This state-required information is used for procurement and completion of the death certificate of the deceased. A listing of the typical death certificate information needed by the funeral director can be obtained by simply clicking on the Arrangement Preferences icon. You can download and complete this useful and time-saving form prior to the arrangement conference with your funeral counselor.

Do I need to have an obituary notice appear in the newspaper?

An obituary or death notice can be an important part of the arrangement process regardless if services are being planned. An obituary notice can be an invaluable resource for those trying to notify family and friends regarding a loss as well as if services will or will not be held. An obituary or death notice is not a legal requirement and be advised that most newspapers have advertising fees for their services. If you choose to place an obituary or death notice in any of several local, out of town, or out of state newspapers your funeral counselor can assist you with your needs. To further assist you in the preparation of your newspaper notice, download the useful Obituary Worksheet to guide you through a traditional format followed by most newspapers.  

If you wish to place other types of notices or need to contact the classified advertising department at your local newspaper, a helpful list of contact information is available here.
 
What does a funeral director do?

Our funeral directors are professionally trained caregivers dedicated to assisting families complete arrangements for burial, cremation or preparation and transportation of the deceased in or outside of the country.

Our purpose is to provide families in their time of need with helpful information and resources enabling them to make knowledgeable, wise choices to meet their specific personal needs. We oversee the details for completing all necessary paperwork, arrangement of funeral ceremonies, and assisting families coping with death.

What is the value of a funeral service or ceremony?

The purpose of a service or gathering is to honor, memorialize and celebrate a loved one’s life in a way that is both comforting and meaningful. A funeral service gives family, friends and members of the community an opportunity to grieve and offer their support to the immediate family of the deceased. Services can provide a sense of “closure” and finality to the bereaved when coping with death.

What is the value of an open casket or viewing?

Many cultures in today’s society recognize the importance of an open casket as an aid to the grief process. Viewing of the body allows the bereaved to recognize a loved one’s death and provides the opportunity to offer final respects to the deceased.

What is embalming and is it required by law?

Embalming is a temporary form of sanitation and preservation of a deceased body. Embalming can often times enhance the appearance of a body and can also enable the family of the deceased to have an extended time for viewing or an open casket service. Embalming is not required by law, however most states require embalming when remains are transported out of the state, by common carrier, or if disposition cannot be completed within a timely manner.

What about cremation?

There are several options available to families who choose cremation as a final disposition. Our staff can assist you in selecting the option that best meets your needs.

Is it possible to have services and/ or viewing with cremation?

Yes. Most families still choose traditional services with visitation and/ or viewing of the deceased before the cremation process occurs. When a family selects cremation arrangements they have the comfort of knowing that their loved one’s body can be present for services, visitation or a viewing.

Does Social Security provide a death benefit?

In some circumstances Social Security will provide a death benefit. Below is a listing of who may be eligible for monthly social security benefits.

  • A widow or widower age 60 or older (50 if disabled), or if caring for an entitled child who is under 16 or disabled.
  • An unmarried child up to 18 years of age (19 if they are attending a primary or secondary school full-time)
  • Children who were disabled before 22, as long as they remained disabled.
  • A dependent parent or parents 62 or older

Below is a listing of who may be eligible for a one-time lump sum death benefit of $255, possibly in addition to the monthly cash benefits listed above.

  • A surviving spouse who lived in the same household as the deceased person at the time of death.
  • A surviving spouse eligible for or entitled to benefits for the month of death.
  • A child or children eligible for or entitled to benefits for the month of death.

How do I obtain Social Security benefits?

You must apply in order to receive benefits. You may apply at any Social Security office or, if you wish, you may apply by telephone. Just dial the Toll-free number (800) 772-1213, and the operator will schedule an appointment for you or arrange for the local Social Security office to take your claim by telephone. You may also visit their website at www.ssa.gov.
 
Who is eligible for Veterans Benefits?
 

The Veterans Administration may provide benefits for veterans, service members and dependents in some circumstances which may include burial in one of the Veterans Association’s 117 national cemeteries. An eligible veteran must have been discharged or separated from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable and have completed the required period of service. Persons entitled to retired pay as a result of 20 years credible service with a reserve component are also eligible. A U.S. citizen who served in the armed forces of a government allied with the United States in a war also may be eligible.

Spouses and minor children of eligible veterans and of service members also may be buried in a national cemetery. It does not matter who precedes whom in death for this benefit. Surviving spouses of veterans who married non-veterans are now eligible for burial in national cemeteries when the death of the surviving spouse occurs on or after January 1, 2000.

Burial benefits in a VA national cemetery include the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, the headstone or market providing the internment site with perpetual care. A graveliner is also provided. Both flat granite and upright marble headstones are available and provided at the government’s expense. Gravesites in national cemeteries cannot be reserved. Funeral directors or others making burial arrangements must apply at the time of death. Benefits may also include Presidential memorial certificates, flags, and reimbursement expenses.

For other questions concerning additional benefits provided by the VA, you may call the National Toll-Free number for Veterans Affairs at (800)827-1000 or you can visit their website at http://www.va.gov/.