Health & Benefits

When someone dies, a family member or another adult must claim the remains. That person has 72 hours to claim the body. The order of who can claim the body of a deceased person is as follows:

• Anyone chosen in writing, such as the Power of Attorney for Health Care,
• An executor of the deceased person's last will and testament,
• The person's spouse at the time of death,
• An adult child,
• A parent,
• Another adult relative, or
• A recognized religious or community group.

Sometimes a family cannot afford to bury the body. If the deceased was getting at least one form of assistance from the Illinois Department of Human Services, such as through TANF or Medicaid, then the Department may pay for the funeral and burial. Learn more about other resources to help with funeral and burial expenses below.

The state will keep the body if no one claims it. The state will try to reach someone who can be responsible for the disposition of the body. That person will have 72 hours to claim the body or make arrangements to remove it. The body will go to science if no one claims it unless:

• The remains are part of a criminal case, or
• The person who died said in writing not to donate the remains.

The facility must identify the deceased, including the person's race and religion. It has to give this information to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The facility has to keep records of how it tried to find family members and any other papers. The facility must give the information to the place that receives donated remains.

The medical institution, mortuary, or permitted scientific place that gets the body must hold it for 30 days before using it. The family can ask for the remains at any time. The place that receives the remains must pay to return the remains.

The medical institution, mortuary, or permitted scientific place cannot transfer or sell the remains once it has finished using them. The institution will then cremate the remains. It will try to give the cremated remains to a family member. The place will bury the remains in a cemetery if no one picks up the remains. It will notify the family on record.

Funeral costs can vary. The law requires funeral homes to give you a General Price List (GPL). Collect GPLs from a few funeral homes and compare the services each funeral home offers. Choose the one that best fits your needs.

You can look into whether your loved one made any pre-payments for their funeral arrangements. Also, find out if the person has any of the following sources of income or death benefits:

• Insurance policies, including life insurance,
• Any bank accounts, especially “POD” accounts. POD means “Payable on Death.” This kind of bank account is intended for funeral expenses,
• Social Security death benefit or survivor’s benefit (to find out, contact your local Social Security office, or call (800) 772-1213),
• Veteran burial benefits (to learn about veteran burial benefits, go to the VA website),
• Membership in a church or other organization (sometimes being a member of a group will grant you benefits during times of loss),
• Employee benefits,
• Death benefits from pensions, societies, and organizations, or
• Credit card holders with death benefits policy.

Some funeral homes and cemeteries allow you to put a lien on life insurance policies for their services.

If there is not money to pay for the funeral, you can also consider whether help may be available from:

• The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS),
• Township General Assistance programs, or
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Covid-19 funeral assistance program.

Learn more about these programs below. 

If the deceased was receiving or eligible for Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) assistance, IDHS may help reimburse funeral and burial costs. IDHS assistance includes:

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Cash (only if actually receiving),
• Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD) Cash (only if actually receiving),
• All Kids Assist (if receiving or eligible to receive),
• Parent/All Kids Assist (if receiving or eligible to receive),
• All Kids Moms & Babies (if receiving or eligible to receive),
• Family Assist (if receiving or eligible to receive),
• AABD Medical (if receiving or eligible to receive), or
• General Assistance Foster Care/Adoption Care (only if actually receiving).

Some people cannot be reimbursed by IDHS. People not eligible for IDHS reimbursement include:

• A beneficiary of the life insurance policy of the person who died, unless the insurance is less than the reimbursement standard,
• The spouse of the person who died, or
• A parent of the person who died if they were under 18 years of age.

Reimbursement will be provided after the costs have been paid. The maximum that IDHS will pay is $1,370 for a funeral and $686 for a cremation or burial.

Learn how to apply for IDHS reimbursement for funeral and burial expenses. 

If the Illinois Department of Human Services cannot help pay for funeral and burial expenses, you can apply to your township's General Assistance program. They may be able to help pay for the burial costs. Learn about Applying for General Assistance. 

There is help available through FEMA for funeral costs of Covid-related deaths through September 30, 2025. You may be eligible for aid if:

• You are a citizen, national, or qualified non-citizen,
• The death occurred after January 20, 2020,
• The death occurred in the U.S.,
• You have an official death certificate, and
• The certificate states that the death was due to Covid-19.

You may receive a maximum of $9,000 per funeral and $35,500 per application if you incurred funeral expenses for multiple people. Use one application even if many people contributed. You should gather funeral expense documents including receipts and funeral home contracts. These documents must include your name, the deceased's name, the amount of expenses, and dates incurred. Learn more about funeral assistance and how to apply.

The funeral director provides you with copies of the death certificate. In Illinois, the law requires that a funeral director oversee certain aspects of the final disposition of a body, even if you choose a home funeral.

Make sure you request enough copies since you will need to supply them for legal purposes, including life insurance benefits.  

You can get a certified copy of an Illinois death certificate by completing an Application for Illinois Death Record. The application requires specific information, such as:

• The death certificate number, if possible,
• Full name on the death record,
• Date of death, and
• Sex.

You can submit the application by mail or fax to:

Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Vital Records
925 E. Ridgely Ave.
Springfield, Illinois 62702-2737

Fax: 217-523-2648

A certified death certificate is $19. All additional copies cost $4.

You can also order a certified copy of a death certificate online through VitalChek.

If you need to get a copy of a death certificate for a member of the US military, you can receive a copy at no cost to you. This applies to both active duty service members and veterans who were honorably discharged from the US military. To get the death certificate, you will have to make a written request to your local registrar or county clerk. They can give you up to one certified copy of the death certificate, under seal, for free. If you need more than one copy, each additional copy should not be more than $6.