Triggered by the NPS collapse, preneed reform rolled out of the Missouri legislature like a tsunami. When the funeral industry was slow to organize and respond to the situation, legislators worked with state officials to imposed sweeping changes. While SB1 does reflect input provided to the State Board by the industry, the law has flaws
missouri
Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? Missouri’s Exam Process
By Bill Stalter on
The Missouri State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors will take another step on December 7th towards the process of defining the examination process for preneed funeral contracts. True to mantra that has been repeated over the past several months: this is a work in progress that will evolve as more is learned.
The agenda…
Missouri Cemetery Reform: New Year’s Resolutions
By Bill Stalter on
In a move to remain autonomous from the funeral industry and its oversight, the Missouri cemetery industry met with its regulator during the summer of 2008 to discuss reform legislation. Disagreements precluded effective legislation from being passed in 2009, but extensive changes was passed in 2010, and became effective on August 28, 2010. Now, the Missouri…
An Educational Process
By Bill Stalter on
Missouri is one of the few states that does not impose a continuing education requirement for funeral directors. Where continuing education is required, the state funeral director association typically sponsors programs that satisfy the CE requirements, and provides revenues needed to supplement the association’s budget needs.
The passage of SB1 has provided the Missouri Funeral…
Self Administered Preneed: too convenient
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Preneed
The earliest form of preneed consisted of a depository account at the local bank. Often, the paperwork included a statement of goods and services describing the individual’s preferences. The account was set up so that the funeral director could access the account upon the consumer’s death. The statement of goods and services would then be…
Who’s the Boss?
By Bill Stalter on
That’s the question a member of the Missouri State Board asked of his staff last Wednesday during a discussion of controversial examination procedures. Prior to the NPS fiasco, the answer to that question would have been “the Board is”. While SB1 (appropriately) continued to vest preneed supervision in the State Board, the new law also…
Missouri’s Show Me Procedures
By Bill Stalter on
The Missouri State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors has released its proposed preneed examination procedures. The release comes just 24 hours before the Board’s October 27th meeting, and so few funeral directors will be prepared to ask questions.
The proposal contemplates different procedures for ‘compliant sellers’ and ‘non-compliant sellers’. With most of the…
Diversity comes at a price: too many boxes
By Bill Stalter on
For the past several years, most preneed sellers were more likely to have been audited by the IRS than their state funeral or cemetery regulator. That will likely change in the next year or two for operators in a Midwest state.
The common response to an IRS audit would be to throw the relevant records…
Early Audit Warning: Fees and Assessments
By Bill Stalter on
It seems paradoxical to see preneed regulators ramping up audit programs while state budgets are being slashed to the bone. Yet, several I-70 corridor states will soon implement new preneed audit programs.
Missouri’s preneed funeral audits will be funded out of a combination of license fees and preneed contract fees. Missouri’s new cemetery law did…
Missouri’s New Reporting Requirements: work in progress
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Missouri - SB1, Preneed
On September 9th, Missouri’s State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors conducted its first public meeting since forwarding new (and extensive) reporting requirements to preneed funeral sellers and providers. In no mood to entertain complaints from the industry, the Board advised licensees to “do their best”. In response to criticism of the new trust reporting…