Funeral planning brings peace of mind for families, knowing they’ve made decisions that will ease the burden for their loved ones. But one part of the conversation is sometimes overlooked: What happens if death occurs away from home?
People tend to spend time away from their homes more often than they realize, whether it’s to visit family members, attend an appointment in the next county or enjoy a concert or game. When someone dies at one of those times, families can be left to navigate the complicated process of ensuring their loved one is returned to a local funeral home.
Families Are Away More Than They Think
It’s easy to understand why people may perceive that they don’t travel often, and that their loved ones wouldn’t need to worry about the associated logistics. However, many people frequently go outside of the 75-mile radius covered by away-from-home protection for relatively routine errands and visits. Without coverage for a death away from home, families can face costly and time-consuming logistics.
Caring for a loved one’s final wishes can be challenging even under the best of circumstances, but the added stress of unfamiliar tasks makes it even more difficult during an already tough time. As a trusted funeral service provider, you’re positioned to help offer peace of mind to families, easing their planning burdens through away-from-home coverage. That’s why an added layer of funeral planning can make a meaningful difference.
How Simple Return Protection Supports Families
When a plan is in place to cover these situations, families can focus on what matters most: supporting one another and honoring their loved one’s life in meaningful ways. The recently released Simple Return at-issue rider from Homesteaders is designed to help funeral homes offer this peace of mind for families.
The innovative, insurance-backed offering, available in most states and serviced by Sepio Guard, helps families with:
- Coordinating with medical facilities to arrange for transportation.
- Obtaining transportation documentation.
- Notifying and working with authorities to get permits if needed.
- Arranging for embalming or cremation services.
- Taking care of costs associated with returning the body to a local funeral home.
Why Simple Return Can Help Your Funeral Home
For funeral homes, offering Simple Return protection can help you give families a more complete funeral planning experience. Many people may not consider the implications of a death that occurs away from home, and you can help them avoid unexpected expenses and stress for their families.
At the time of need, this protection can also make your role easier. When you and the family know that return logistics and costs are covered, you can focus on carrying out the funeral plans in the way their loved one wanted.
Convenient, Secure Insurance Protection
For funeral homes that offer Homesteaders-funded preneed funeral plans, Simple Return is a convenient way to include away-from-home protection. As an insurance funded, at-issue rider, it provides coverage for transport expenses to a local funeral home when death occurs 75 or more miles away from home.
Simple Return seamlessly integrates into your existing preneed process, because families can purchase and pay for this coverage along with their policy. It’s a straightforward and affordable option that helps them create a more comprehensive funded funeral plan. Plus, because it is insurance-backed and offered by Homesteaders, families can be confident that their plans are secure where and when they’re needed.
A Simple Step That Just Makes Sense
Providing away-from-home coverage offers much more than just managing the logistics and tasks so loved ones won’t have to. It provides confidence to families that they’ve planned for unexpected gaps that could turn an already difficult time into an even more stressful ordeal for them. With Simple Return, you can:
- Bring even more peace of mind and value to families.
- Enhance your position as a comprehensive service provider.
- Avoid unexpected headaches and expenses during difficult times.
No matter where life takes the people you serve, Simple Return will bring them home. To learn more about Simple Return or to begin offering it as part of your funeral home’s funded advance funeral plans, contact your Homesteaders account executive.
