Pre-Arrangements

What is a pre-arrangement?
Often, we have heard very strong and positive feedback from families whose loved ones had made a pre-arrangement at Bekavac Funeral Home. Planning a funeral or memorial service within hours of a death can be a very difficult experience. There are many details to consider and critical decisions must be made at a time when people are faced with the emotions of grief and loss. Planning a funeral or memorial service ahead of time removes much of the burden from your family. When you plan a funeral or memorial service in advance, or that of another family member, you have an opportunity to explore the various options and make these decisions at a time of little or no stress. This is especially attractive and beneficial to families where the children live out of the area. Once the plans are made, all information is filed away in a fireproof safe and also recorded in our computer system. This will guarantee that all of your wishes will be carried out in the exact fashion in which they were made.

Why plan and pay ahead?
When planning ahead it is also important to decide if you should set money aside to pay for the funeral service in advance. There are three primary benefits for paying a funeral or memorial service ahead of time. First, there is the peace of mind you get, in knowing that your children, or other family members, will not be financially burdened with the expense of the funeral or memorial service. Second, by choosing a funeral home that offers a full guarantee, you have the assurance that the services you select today will be provided in the future at no additional cost. Not all funeral homes offer a guaranteed funeral plan, even when you pay ahead. All Bekavac Funeral Homes offer a full service guarantee. Knowing that everything is taken care of will give both you and your family, peace of mind. The final benefit to paying ahead for a funeral or memorial service is that you are able to protect the money from being used for other reasons. Prepaying a funeral is an excluded asset when applying for government assistance programs such as Pennsylvania Department of Public Works Medical Assistance. Thus, by making the funding irrevocable, the money can be safeguarded from the costs of a long-term illness or extended care in a nursing facility. If you would like to discuss paying for a funeral or memorial service in advance, or if you would like more information, please call any of our locations to set up an appointment at your convenience.

How to plan and pay ahead
Funeral or memorial services may be planned in advance by setting up an appointment with one of our six licensed funeral directors. We can meet at any one our facilities, at your home, or at another location to accommodate others who may wish to join you. Your plans can be very simple, with just a few basic ideas of what you would like for the service, or, it can be very detailed - specifying the music, the readings, or other special requests. In either case, the funeral director will write down all of the information you have given and keep it on file. If your wishes change, you can update your file as needed. There are several ways to pay for a funeral or memorial service ahead of time. One way is to assign an existing insurance policy as payment for the desired type of service. If this is a good option for you, you can work with your insurance company and our funeral directors to make the necessary changes to your policy. Another method is to set aside money in a trust fund that will be used exclusively to pay for the funeral or memorial service. The best option may be to buy an insurance product specifically dedicated to pre-paying the funeral expenses. Our pre-planning services offer this type of insurance as we have several licensed insurance agents on our staff. If you would like more information, or help deciding which option may best suit your needs, we can sit down with you and discuss the choices. Please call us with any questions you may have.