Funeral providers may include this information in any document they give you at the end of your discussion about funeral arrangements. Preservative and Protective Claims Under the law, funeral providers are prohibited from telling you a particular funeral item or service can indefinitely preserve the body of the deceased in the grave. The information gathered during the FTC's investigation indicated these claims are not true. For example, funeral providers may not claim embalming or a particular type of casket will indefinitely preserve the deceased's body. The law also prohibits funeral providers from making claims that funeral goods, such as caskets or vaults, will keep out water, dirt, and other gravesite substances when that is not true.
Most states have a licensing board that regulates the funeral industry.
You may contact the licensing board in your state for information or help. The Conference, which represents licensing boards in 47 states, provides information on laws in various states and accepts and responds to consumer inquiries or complaints about funeral providers. If you want additional information about how to make funeral arrangements and the available options, you may want to contact interested business, professional, and consumer groups. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping older Americans achieve lives of independence, dignity and purpose. These publications are available free by writing to the address listed above.