Disposition of remains for Pennsylvania
A disposition of remains directive says what you want done with your body and names the person with authority to arrange it.
$9, or $5 for a second household member ($14 for both). Includes 6 months of changes.
What you pay counts in full toward a package.
Who this is for
- You have a clear preference between burial and cremation and nobody has heard you say it.
- Your family would disagree, or the person you would want deciding is not your next of kin by law.
- You are estranged from the relative the law would otherwise put in charge.
- You want a specific cemetery, rite or scattering and want it followed.
What it does not do
- It arranges nothing and pays for nothing. Funeral costs and any pre-paid plan are separate.
- It does not override an anatomical gift you have already made. If you have registered as a donor, say so here so the two agree.
- A funeral home still needs someone with authority present. That is why naming the agent matters as much as stating the wishes.
How to sign it in your state
Pennsylvania
Disposition of Remains / Funeral Agent
Use the witness or acknowledgment method printed in the document and give the appointed person a copy.
- Witnesses: 2, or use the acknowledgment route printed on the document instead.
- Notary: an alternative to the witnesses, not an addition to them.
New York
Disposition of Remains / Funeral Agent
Sign the appointment before two witnesses; no notary is used for this route.
- Witnesses: 2, and they must be present at the signing.
- Notary: no. Notarization is not used for this signing route.
N.Y. Public Health Law ยง 4201
New Jersey
Disposition of Remains / Funeral Agent
Use the witness or acknowledgment method printed in the document and give the appointed person a copy.
- Witnesses: 2, or use the acknowledgment route printed on the document instead.
- Notary: an alternative to the witnesses, not an addition to them.
Get started
This is a short document that prevents a specific kind of harm: a family arguing in a funeral home, or a person who was not legally next of kin being shut out of arrangements they were the closest to.
Two things need to be in it. What you want, and who is allowed to say so. The second matters more than people expect, because a funeral director needs someone with authority in front of them.
Keep it findable. A directive nobody sees until after the service has failed at the only job it had.
Common questions
Why not just put this in my will?
Because a will is often read days after the funeral. This document is meant to be found immediately, and it names an agent with authority now.
Who decides if I have not signed anything?
State law sets an order, generally starting with a spouse and adult children. If the person you would actually want deciding is not at the top of that list, this document is how you change it.
Does New York have its own route?
Yes. New York's appointment of an agent to control disposition of remains is signed before two witnesses and is not notarized. Airlooms builds the New York form for a New York signer.
Can I say how it should be paid for?
You can record what you have arranged, and this document does not create funding. If you have a pre-paid plan, name the funeral home and the plan number so it is found.
Should I tell people?
Yes. Tell the agent, and put a copy where it will be found in the first day, not in a safe deposit box that opens on Monday.
Included in
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