When an Ohio resident dies without the money to pay for a funeral and no family member can afford one, the township or municipality where the person lived or died must provide a basic burial or cremation. This obligation for an Ohio indigent burial comes from Ohio Revised Code 9.15, and it is handled entirely at the local level.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 9.15 – Burial or Cremation of Body at Expense of Township or Municipal Corporation The local government picks the funeral home, decides between burial and cremation, and arranges everything through a licensed funeral director.2Ohio Department of Commerce, Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Indigent Burial and Cremation Support Program What you get is bare-minimum, and you have to move fast.
Who Qualifies
The local government makes the call on whether the deceased counts as indigent.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Rule 4717-17-04 The central question is whether the person left enough to pay for their own burial or cremation. Officials look at bank accounts, real estate, life insurance, and anything else in the estate. Some municipalities publish dollar thresholds; others decide case by case.
They also look at surviving family. If a spouse, adult child, or parent can reasonably afford the cost, expect a denial. You can push back by documenting your own hardship, but the burden of proof sits with the family.
Residency matters, and it can get complicated. Some jurisdictions require the deceased to have lived there for a set period. When the death happens in one place and the person lived in another, local officials have to work out which government is on the hook, and that back-and-forth can delay arrangements.
If the deceased was on Medicaid at the time of death, that is generally enough on its own to establish financial hardship.
How to Apply
Call the township trustees, the municipal office, or the county department of job and family services in the jurisdiction where the person lived or died. Every jurisdiction runs its own program, so that first call decides everything: ask who handles indigent burial applications and exactly what they need from you.
Do not arrange anything on your own first. Many municipalities require applications within a few days of death, and some will not reimburse costs incurred before approval. Dayton, for example, will not pay for a cremation that happened before the application was approved.4City of Dayton, Ohio – Official Website. Indigent Cremation Families who make private arrangements first, then apply, are one of the most common denial categories.
Gather documentation of the deceased person’s finances: bank statements, proof of any government assistance, estate records, and life insurance information. Officials will also want to see the financial picture of surviving family. If financial records aren’t accessible, some jurisdictions accept sworn affidavits from next of kin.4City of Dayton, Ohio – Official Website. Indigent Cremation
Review typically takes several business days. During that time, the jurisdiction verifies eligibility and coordinates with a contracted funeral home. You may be asked to sign an agreement that if assets show up later, such as a life insurance policy, Social Security death benefit, or estate proceeds, the local government can recover what it spent.4City of Dayton, Ohio – Official Website. Indigent Cremation
What the Program Covers
These are minimum-level services. The state reimburses local governments up to $1,000 for an adult case (age 12 and over) and $750 for a child (age 11 and under).2Ohio Department of Commerce, Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Indigent Burial and Cremation Support Program Nationally, a funeral with burial averages more than $8,000, and even a direct cremation runs $1,000 to $3,600. What the program pays for is the floor of what a funeral can be.
Covered services generally include transporting the body, basic preparation, and either a simple casket or a cremation container. The local government picks the funeral home, not you.2Ohio Department of Commerce, Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Indigent Burial and Cremation Support Program Participating funeral homes agree to work at reduced rates.
Burial or Cremation
Cremation is the default in many jurisdictions because it is cheaper. Where burial is provided, the program covers a grave in a township or municipal cemetery, a basic casket, and minimal graveside services. Ohio law requires townships to set aside space in their cemeteries for indigent burials.5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 517.06 Headstones and grave markers usually aren’t included, though some townships provide a small marker.
When cremation is used, the program covers the cremation and a basic container. Some municipalities let families claim the ashes at no cost; others charge a small fee. If ashes go unclaimed, they may be interred in a common grave or scattered in a designated area. Religious or cultural objections to cremation may be considered, but local officials aren’t required to accommodate preferences that raise costs significantly.
What You Will Still Pay For
Death certificates are not covered. A certified copy through the Ohio Department of Health is $21.50.6Ohio Department of Health. How to Order Certificates Local registrars and city health departments may charge more. Columbus charges $25 per certified copy, plus a $9.95 fee for online orders.7City of Columbus, Ohio. Get a Birth or Death Certificate You will need several copies to settle the estate, close accounts, and file insurance claims, so plan on at least three or four.
Anything above the base level, such as a better casket, a memorial service, transportation beyond the local jurisdiction, or flowers, comes out of your pocket. Some funeral homes offer payment plans for these additions. If you want a say in how the arrangements look, you will almost certainly have to add money on top of what the program provides.
Who Controls the Arrangements
Ohio law sets a priority order for who has the right of disposition over a deceased person’s remains. If the deceased signed a written declaration naming someone, that person has first priority.8Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2108.70 Otherwise it passes through spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, more distant relatives, and any appointed guardian, in that order. At the bottom of the list, when the deceased was indigent and no one above steps forward, the right passes to a public officer or employee responsible for final disposition.9Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2108.81 – Right of Disposition, No Declaration of Assignment
Here is what that means in practice. When you use the indigent burial program, the local official effectively takes control of arrangements, and your legal right to make decisions is limited by the program’s budget. You keep the right on paper; the money decides what actually happens.
One point that trips families up: Ohio law does not automatically require relatives to pay for a deceased family member’s burial. But if a family member agrees to cover the costs and then doesn’t, the funeral home can sue for payment. Do not sign anything committing yourself to costs you can’t cover.
Federal Benefits That Can Add to What the Program Provides
Even when the indigent burial program picks up the base cost, federal benefits can add to it.
Social Security Lump-Sum Death Payment
Social Security pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse who lived in the same household as the deceased. If there is no qualifying spouse, certain dependent children may be eligible. Apply within two years of the death.10Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment The amount has not changed in decades, but many eligible families never claim it.
VA Burial Allowance for Veterans
If the deceased was a veteran who did not receive a dishonorable discharge, the VA may pay a burial allowance. For non-service-connected deaths occurring on or after October 1, 2025, the VA pays up to $1,002 for burial and another $1,002 for a plot.11U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits Service-connected deaths qualify for higher amounts.
The VA also provides a free government headstone or marker for any eligible veteran buried in an unmarked grave, regardless of whether the burial was indigent. Spouses and dependent children buried in national or state veterans cemeteries qualify too. Applications use VA Form 40-1330 and can be submitted online, by mail, or by fax.12Veterans Affairs. Headstones, Markers, Plaques, and Urns Because indigent burial programs almost never include a headstone, the VA marker is often the only way to make sure a veteran’s grave is identified.
Free Cemetery Lot for Township Residents in Hardship
Separate from the indigent burial program, Ohio law lets township residents ask for a free cemetery lot. Under ORC 517.07, a head of household living in the township can apply to the board of township trustees for a lot at no charge. The board grants it if, in its opinion, requiring payment would be oppressive given the family’s finances.13Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 517.07 This is available to any township family in hardship, even one paying for the funeral itself.
If You Are Denied
Applications get denied for a few common reasons: undisclosed or undiscovered assets, a financially capable relative, or unmet residency requirements. Ask for the reason in writing. Some jurisdictions let you submit additional financial documentation and have the decision reconsidered. Others require a more formal hearing.
There is no statewide appeals process, which makes fighting a denial inconsistent from one place to the next. If you think the denial was wrong, your county department of job and family services or a local legal aid organization is the most practical next stop. Families who are denied often turn to charitable organizations, religious communities, or crowdfunding. Some funeral homes offer extended payment plans, though signing up for a payment obligation under grief and time pressure carries its own risks.