Medicare Funeral Benefit

The loss of a loved one is never something that is easy to deal with from an emotional standpoint, but the financial burden is always lurking in the shadows as well.  A funeral is not easy to plan for a variety of reasons and this is up to and including the fact that it is generally done so quickly after the death.  Some insurance plans cover a good portion of funeral expenses if a beneficiary of the plan happens to pass away, but is there a Medicare funeral benefit?

The answer is yes, but the Medicare funeral benefit is very small and is almost non-existent when it comes in to comparison with actual funeral expenses.  The Medicare funeral benefit is a one time $255 payment from Medicare to the surviving spouse if the couple was not divorced or legally separated at the time of the death.  However, a divorced spouse can also claim the benefit if they are a beneficiary of the policy.

If the beneficiary does not have a surviving spouse or divorced surviving spouse the benefit could be split among eligible children of the spouse.  The Medicare funeral benefit must be filed within two years of the death of the original beneficiary of the policy.

Entry Filed under: Claims