Maximum amount of funeral and burial expenses under the funeral, burial, and cemetery expenses program

What it does

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, county departments of social services or human services (county departments) pay cemetery, funeral, and burial expenses for decedents who, during life, received certain public assistance benefits, such as Wisconsin Works benefits or Medical Assistance benefits, and whose estates at death are insufficient to pay those expenses. If an eligible a decedent's total funeral and burial expenses do not exceed $3,500, a county department pays the lesser of $1,500 or the amount not paid by the decedent's estate and other persons. The Department of Health Services reimburses county departments for payments that the county departments make for funeral and burial expenses from a general purpose revenue appropriation.

This bill increases the maximum funeral and burial expenses that obligate a county department to contribute toward the cost. Under the bill, a county department is not required to contribute toward a decedent's funeral and burial expenses if the total funeral and burial expenses exceed $4,500, rather than $3,500.

Who's behind it

7 senators are its authors⁠. 6 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.

11 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

What it would cost

State agencies filed a cost estimate. Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

• Fiscal Estimate From DHS

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

• Amendment SA1-SB338
• LC Amendment Memo