Survey of Funeral Service Costs in the Virginia Blue Ridge Area

How to read the funeral home survey Funeral homes are listed across the top by town or city. Refer to the attached directory listed by funeral home for addresses and phone numbers. Prices listed are for all branches of a funeral home unless a branch has different prices. Notice the date - Prices may increase significantly without notice. Please remember that there is more to consider than price alone. One consideration is how current is the printed price list that is supplied. A current price list is one mark of a funeral home that is more honest with the consumer. Investigate the specifics of the funeral homes you are interested in to be sure of the charges for the services you desire. Funeral homes are required to quote prices to you over the phone or to provide their price lists to you when you visit in person. At the end of sheet you can see a price comparison of high! low! and median. John M. Oakey and Son and Oakeys are two completely separate companies. Cremation Society and Seaver-Brown Funeral "ome share the same location! but they are separate entities with different charges for cremation. Basic fee # $on%declinable fee! a basic services fee that customers cannot decline to pay. &he basic services fee includes services that are common to all users! regardless of the specific arrangement. &he fee does not include charges for optional services or merchandise. &his fee is included in the price of direct cremation and immediate burial. Embalmin # '(cept in certain cases embalming is not required by law. )ou have the right to select direct cremation or immediate burial which do not require embalming. Other !re" # Other preparation of the body # *ashing and dressing. +any funeral homes charge ,washing and disinfecting when no embalming, - this is illegal if forced on families and is not calculated in our listing. #iewin # .harges for the facility and staff in connection with viewing the body. /ome funeral homes will waive this fee if viewing occurs on the same day as the funeral. $%neral # A charge for a commemorative service with the body present as opposed to a memorial service where the body is not present. &ransfer # 0ringing the body to the funeral home. Additional charges apply beyond a specified radius. /ee Mile 'adi%s(mileage charge below. Service Car # A utility car for flower arrangements and other services. Casket # 1east e(pensive listed. A range is provided by the funeral home. All funeral homes are required to accept a casket from a third party without an additional charge. &otal # &he total cost of a hypothetical basic funeral. Remember you m%st add cemetery e(penses 2grave! opening and closing! vault or grave liner if applicable! monument or marker3 to this amount. &he following categories are services viewed as additions to the usual services. )mmediate B%rial # .harges to bury the body without casket. )ou should not have to pay for additional services you do not want such as washing the body or embalming. **Cremation # /ome funeral homes don4t include the third%party crematory4s charge in this price or the medical e(aminer5s fee. If the price list doesn4t indicate whether these are included! we4ve added in an average 67 8 for cremation and 6 8 for the medical e(aminer5s fee to give an accurate comparison. If the price list does list this as a separate charge! we4ve added that charge to come up with a true total for direct cremation. &he price does not include an alternative container or casket. $orwardin # Forwarding the body to another funeral home or institution. 'eceivin # Receiving the body from another funeral home. Mile 'adi%s + &he area for which there is no e(tra charge with the price per mile outside the allowed radius. /ome funeral homes charge for loaded mileage only 2return trip3 and some charge for all mileage outside allowable radius. 0e sure to ask about the policy.

Call the f%neral home which interests yo%. $%neral homes are re,%ired by state and federal re %lations to ,%ote c%rrent "rices to yo% over the "hone. The prices displayed on the following chart have been taken from the General Price Lists provided by each of the funeral homes. The Funeral Consumers Alliance of the lue !idge has made a good faith attempt to report the information accurately. Consumers are advised to check with the provider of their choice to confirm the accuracy of current individual prices. Prices are sub"ect to change at any time. For more information or e#planation$ contact us at %&'()%*(%%+) or email at fcavbr,gmail.com.
Funeral Consumers Alliance of the -irginia lue !idge$ .nc. 9 :8;<