One of the weaknesses of Chapter 436, Missouri’s preneed law, is that it provides the State Board few enforcement powers beyond disciplining the preneed seller’s license. There are plenty of examples of preneed sellers obstructing the State Board’s efforts to obtain preneed records. At least one resorted to litigation as a delay tactic. The prospect
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Missouri Preneed Legislation: Time to Follow the Money
It would seem that the Missouri Legislature has grown impatient with the funeral industry’s efforts to regulate preneed. New legislation, Senate Bill No. 32, would establish a two tier approach to preneed oversight. This law would create a threshold whereby the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors would be required to notify the…
Missouri Funeral Legislation: Lowering the Bar
The current shortage of qualified workers has caught up with the death care industry. Funeral home owners are finding it difficult to fill open positions. Salary demands are rising, and industries competing for death care workers can offer perks that funeral homes find difficult to match. While the death care industry has been notorious for…
Missouri’s New State Funeral Board: Starting under a Whistleblower Cloud
Missouri’s new State Board will have its first meeting this week, and one week after the State was sued by a former State Board employee. The lawsuit alleges that the Division of Professional Registration usurped State Board authority to fire employees who had defied Division Director warnings to stand down. What we now know through…
NPS Receivership Wind Down: Does this foreshadow an end to Missouri Third Party Sellers?
Late in 2021, PNC Bank threw in the towel. After years of litigation and two appeals, PNC Bank agreed to a settlement with the NPS special deputy receiver. Last month, our Illinois clients began receiving POC notices from the SDR that a portion of their claims for inflation would be honored. Payment of funeral home…
Missouri’s State Funeral Board: What’s Next?
With Governor Parson withdrawing all four of his Missouri Funeral Board appointments, the industry is asking what will happen next. The Governor’s office had been watching the festering dispute between the Division and the State Board, but was unsure whether the industry cared. While the MFDEA’s support for the Division acting director was undeniable,…
Setting the Record Straight: Opposition to the Missouri Division of Professional Registration
When an Association Press story broke a few months ago, the MFDEA response was to suggest that the reporter had been influenced by individuals who were anti-Governor Parson and anti-Division. But the reality is that funeral directors opposed to Ms. Solon’s actions are supporters of Governor Parson. Multiple parties reached out to the Governor to…
Setting the Record Straight: The Inspection Dispute
MFDEA members like one past president have written to the Governor to commend the Division acting director for having put an end to the State Board’s “photographic surveillance” of funeral homes. This past president of MFDEA stated that instead of actually inspecting the funeral home, the Board inspectors were taking pictures which were then reviewed…
Setting the Record Straight: Derailing Missouri Preneed Reform
In this post we are breaking a rule that we have followed since the startup of the blog: maintaining the anonymity of a source. In our post Derailing Missouri Preneed Reform we referred to our source as having an irrefutable reputation within the industry. Those who follow this blog instantly understood that the statement had…
Setting the Record Straight: Preneed Audits will be Delayed Until Further Notice
In an earlier post we reported how the acting director for the Division of Professional Registration advised the Governor that State Board changes were needed to be made “to increase efficiency and fiscal responsibility.” Improvements were needed, “especially with inspections and financial examinations”, and that there could be potential cost savings of $200,000. In a…