PA Funeral Juris flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

State Board of Funeral Directors

The Pennsylvania regulatory board within the Department of State that licenses funeral directors, registers establishments, adopts regulations, and imposes discipline for violations of the Funeral Director Law.

Funeral Director Law

Pennsylvania statute (49 Pa. Code Chapter 13) governing licensure, establishment registration, standards of practice, and grounds for disciplinary action against funeral directors.

Biennial license renewal

Pennsylvania funeral director licenses renew every two years; renewal requires the Board-set continuing education hours, including ethics, and payment of the renewal fee before expiration.

Continuing education requirement

Licensees must complete the Board-mandated CE hours each renewal cycle, including the required ethics component, and retain completion certificates for audit by the Board.

Establishment registration

A funeral establishment must be registered with the Board and placed in charge of a licensed funeral director; the premises must meet Board facility and sanitation standards.

Unlicensed practice prohibition

Only a licensed funeral director may make funeral arrangements, direct funerals, and supervise embalming; unlicensed practice is a violation subject to Board discipline and civil penalty.

Grounds for discipline

The Board may refuse, suspend, or revoke a license or impose civil penalties for fraud, gross incompetence, unlicensed practice, and other violations of the Act or regulations.

Board advisory opinions

Interpretive statements issued by the Board clarifying how the Act and regulations apply; licensees are bound by both the statute and the Board's interpretations.

FTC Funeral Rule

Federal regulation (16 CFR Part 453) requiring funeral providers to give a General Price List, itemized disclosures, and a signed statement of goods and services selected.

General Price List

A written, dated list of the funeral provider's goods and services with prices, offered to consumers to keep; required by the FTC Funeral Rule at the start of arrangements.

Statement of Funeral Goods

The itemized FTC-required document listing the specific goods and services the consumer selected, their prices, and the total, signed by the consumer.

Telephone price disclosure

Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a provider must answer telephone inquiries about prices and give accurate price information for available goods and services on request.

Preneed funeral contract

An agreement to provide funeral goods or services before need; funds must be held in trust or insurance with required disclosures, refund rules, and Board oversight.

Burial-transit permit

A disposition permit obtained from the local registrar authorizing removal and transport of human remains for burial, cremation, or transport out of the jurisdiction.

Death certificate filing

The funeral director completes the personal-data portion, obtains the physician's or coroner's cause-of-death certification, and files the certificate with the local registrar.

Coroner notification

Deaths from suspected homicide, suicide, accident, or unattended circumstances must be reported to the coroner, whose jurisdiction supersedes routine handling of the remains.

Disinterment authorization

Removal of buried remains requires a court order or authorization from the local registrar, plus compliance with cemetery rules and Department of Health regulations.

Funeral record retention

The funeral director must retain signed contracts, authorizations, embalming records, and price lists for the period required by Board regulations and FTC rules.

Written embalming authorization

Embalming requires prior written authorization from the legally authorized person; the signed authorization and the identity of the deceased are documented on the embalming record.

Universal precautions

All human remains are treated as potentially infectious; PPE, hand hygiene, and OSHA bloodborne-pathogen standards apply in the preparation room and during transfer.

Chain of custody

A documented record tracking the identity and location of remains at every transfer from removal through final disposition, verified by tags and signatures.

Removal and transfer

The funeral director supervises removal of remains, verifies identity, secures the required permits, and documents the transfer in the establishment's records.

Arrangement conference

The meeting where the funeral director gathers vital statistics, presents the General Price List, selects merchandise and services, and obtains required signatures and disclosures.

Restorative art standard

Cosmetology and restorative work should produce a natural, dignified appearance for viewing consistent with the family's expressed wishes and the deceased's condition.

Cremation authorization

Cremation requires written authorization, identity confirmation, removal of pacemakers and hazardous implants, and compliance with the crematory's operating procedures.

Preparation room sanitation

The preparation room must meet Board sanitation standards, with proper ventilation, disinfection, and hazardous-waste disposal under the funeral director's supervision.

Unclaimed remains procedure

Handling of unclaimed or indigent remains follows statutory timeframes and county notification, with documented efforts to locate next of kin before disposition.

Fiduciary duty

Funds held for preneed contracts or client services belong to the client or estate and must never be commingled with the funeral home's operating funds.

Informed consent

The licensee must truthfully disclose prices, legal requirements, and the necessity of services such as embalming or a casket, and must not misrepresent them.

Client confidentiality

Client and family information is confidential and may be released only with authorization or as required by law, regulation, or court order.

Conflict of interest

Undisclosed commissions, referral fees, or self-dealing with affiliated vendors are prohibited and constitute grounds for Board discipline.

Prohibited solicitation

Soliciting the dying or bereaved and obtaining referrals through inducements are unethical and prohibited under the Act and Board regulations.