a. Burial costs
- review ‘Funeral details’ and ‘Funeral burial’ evidence
- check:
- that correct costs have been manually entered for burial costs
- that the correct local authority is set for deceased
- whether an existing plot is being used
- that the amounts entered by the client adviser are correct by comparing against the local authority list
b. Cremation costs
- review ‘Funeral details’ and ’Funeral cremation’ evidence
- check:
- the correct costs have been manually entered for cremation costs
- the correct local authority is set for the person who died
- the amounts entered by the client adviser are correct by comparing against the local authority list
- that costs for removal of devices are allowed only for the devices listed in the guidance up to a maximum of £24 per device
c. Applicant travel
- review ‘Funeral travel’ evidence
- check that costs for one journey only have been allowed
- check that the costs are reasonable
- check that evidence has been seen where costs exceed £50
d. Body transportation costs
- review ‘Funeral travel’ evidence
- check that the mileage and mileage rate have been confirmed by either a call to the funeral director or the actual bill has been seen
- check costs are reasonable
e. Medical certificate costs
- review ‘Funeral documentation’ evidence
- check costs only applied where the death occurred outside of Scotland
- check costs are reasonable (compare against the relevant NHS website and, if evidence is required, confirm via the funeral director’s bill or receipt for services)
f. Death certificate costs
- review ‘Funeral documentation’ evidence
- check costs are reasonable
- check that the number of death certificates purchased matches the number of separate funds declared for the person who died
See the Funeral documentation guidance for details on costs of additional death certificates if required to access funds from deceased’s estate.
g. Removal of implantable device costs
- review ‘Funeral cremation details’ evidence
- check that costs have been applied only where the funeral type is cremation
- check that costs have been confirmed by a call with the funeral director from their bill or receipt for services
- check that costs allowed are for devices listed in guidance only
h. Funeral director
- review ‘Funeral director details’ evidence
- check that consent to contact has been noted
- check that consent to pay has been noted. If consent is not provided then the Funeral Support Payment award:
- must not be paid until the final bill has been seen
- must only be paid to the applicant or their nominated bank account
- check that the funeral director’s full address and contact telephone number have been entered
If consent to pay is granted to the funeral director, check:
- that the funeral director has been linked to an existing service supplier or a new service supplier has been created
- that the correct banking details have been added, either the funeral director’s or the client’s