Subj : Funeral director says MSD grant application process 'archaic'
To   : All
From : News
Date : Thu Jun 13 2024 12:51 pm

By 1News Reporters
10:01am

A funeral director is calling on the Ministry of Social Development to review
"inconsistencies" in its funeral grant application process which she says
turns away grieving families over documentation discrepancies.


The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) Funeral Grant scheme helps those
eligible cover funeral costs with grants up to $2559.20 by providing a
confirmation of death, funeral expenses and proof of identity.


Kaiora Tipene of Auckland's Tipene Funerals told Breakfast that whanau
submitting applications to receive this grant are being declined because the
criteria for confirming a death requested on the physical application form
differs from what is listed on the MSD website.


She said funeral directors typically allocate time to sit with grieving
families who fill out a 35-question application document and assist them with
the confirmation of the passing of a loved one, which "can be confronting for
whanau".

"There's a document that states that you would need a death certificate. Now
the death certificate itself takes up to 14 days to process. So there's a
delay.


"Then you've got another document which they accept, known as a newspaper
notice, but even still, there's a cost to put something in the paper."


Tipene said the official government MSD website does not state that a funeral
director's confirmation is sufficient, but is accepted on the paper
application.

In a post to Facebook, Tipene described the process as "quite archaic" and
called for consistency across all agencies to make the submission process
easier.


"Whether that be online, or some type of email address that they can submit
to," she told Breakfast.


She said death notices are becoming outdated and many families are now taking
to social media to notify others about the death of loved ones which is
"convenient for them these days".


"Why is it that we have to put something in the [newspaper] notice just for
MSD to accept, why can't we accept that there is a funeral director's
confirmation that they will accept."


Tipene said she has also heard feedback from families who hold a deep sense
of fear when entering any government office.


"The fear of maybe being declined, the fear of a lack of support. Even just
walking with them to reception, I'm holding their hand."


She said whanau would miss out on funds and "wouldn't be heard" if they give
up after being declined.


"It's almost like we have to be there to advocate for them every step of the
way."


MSD responds
Ministry of Social Development's group general manager of client service
delivery Jayne Russell said organising a funeral can be a "very difficult
experience" and funeral grants were intended to help eligible people cover
some of the costs.


"Because they can be up to $2559.20, we ask for verifying information before
we approve payment. This information can either be provided in person at a
service centre, or it can be sent to us by post. This can take place after
the funeral.


"To confirm the death, we generally ask for either a newspaper death notice
or a death certificate. Death certificates can be ordered online for $33."


Russell said if someone does not have either of those, MSD may be able to get
the information another way.


"For example, our policy is that a medical examination will suffice until a
death certificate is obtained."

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