(a) When a person in any town, or sent from such town to any licensed institution or state humane institution, dies or is found dead therein and does not leave sufficient estate and has no legally liable relative able to pay the cost of a proper funeral and burial, or upon the death of any beneficiary under the state-administered general assistance program, the Commissioner of Social Services shall give to such person a proper funeral and burial, and shall pay a sum not exceeding one thousand three hundred fifty dollars as an allowance toward the funeral expenses of such decedent. Said sum shall be paid, upon submission of a proper bill, to the funeral director, cemetery or crematory, as the case may be. Such payment for funeral and burial expenses shall be reduced by (1) the amount in any revocable or irrevocable funeral fund, (2) any prepaid funeral contract, (3) the face value of any life insurance policy owned by the decedent that names a funeral home, cemetery or crematory as a beneficiary, (4) the net value of all liquid assets in the decedent's estate, and (5) contributions in excess of three thousand four hundred dollars toward such funeral and burial expenses from all other sources including friends, relatives and all other persons, organizations, agencies, veterans' programs and other benefit programs. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 17b-90, whenever payment for funeral, burial or cremation expenses is reduced due to liquid assets in the decedent's estate, the commissioner may disclose information concerning such liquid assets to the funeral director, cemetery or crematory providing funeral, burial or cremation services for the decedent.
(b) The Commissioner of Social Services may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section.
(1949 Rev., S. 2596; 1949, S. 543b; 1953, 1955, S. 1428d; 1963, P.A. 438, S. 8; February, 1965, P.A. 625, S. 7; 1967, P.A. 151, S. 7; 1969, P.A. 730, S. 38; 1971, P.A. 691; 1972, P.A. 154, S. 2; P.A. 77-604, S. 11, 84; P.A. 78-337, S. 9, 11; P.A. 86-290, S. 4, 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8, S. 40, 63; P.A. 95-194, S. 11, 33; P.A. 96-209, S. 3; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 48; P.A. 04-16, S. 4; P.A. 06-188, S. 18; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 384; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 45; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 186; P.A. 19-117, S. 312.)
History: 1963 act raised funeral expenses from $150 to $200 and total expense from $300 to $400; 1965 act raised total burial expense to $450; 1967 act raised total burial expense to $500, substituted a “proper” for a “decent” burial and deleted casket description; 1969 act increased funeral expense limit to $250 and total expense limit to $600; 1971 act deleted reference to reimbursement from other towns; 1972 act replaced specific dollar limits on funeral and burial lot costs with reference to “the sum established” under Sec. 17-82n; P.A. 77-604 replaced incorrect reference to Sec. 17-82n with reference to Sec. 17-82q; P.A. 78-337 lumped funeral and burial expenses together with reference to Sec. 17-82q; P.A. 86-290 substituted reference to Sec. 17-81i for reference to Sec. 17-82q; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8 amended section to reduce the expenses paid by the town for funeral and burial by the amount of any contributions, entitlements or benefit programs; Sec. 17-286 transferred to Sec. 17b-131 in 1995; P.A. 95-194 changed the maximum allowance towards funeral expenses that a selectman or public official may pay from “the amount established under 17b-84” to $1,200 and amended Subdiv. (4) by lowering the amount of contributions from all other sources from $3,600 to $2,000, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-209 amended Subdiv. (4) by increasing amount of exempted contributions from $2,000 to $2,800; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3 substituted “chief executive officer” for “selectmen, or the public official charged with the administration of general assistance” re person responsible for giving a proper funeral and burial, changed “may” to “shall” re payment of sum not exceeding $1,200 toward funeral expenses, deleted “On and after October 1, 1991”, provided that “The Commissioner of Social Services shall reimburse such town for such burial”, deleted provision treating burial expenses as general assistance expenditure and deleted provision imposing $25 fine on any person burying or causing to be buried any person in violation of section, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-16 replaced reference to “chief executive officer of such town” with reference to “Commissioner of Social Services” re person responsible for giving proper funeral and burial and deleted provision re commissioner reimbursing town for burial expenses; P.A. 06-188 increased maximum funeral and burial allowance from $1,200 to $1,800 and provided that such allowance is payable “upon the death of any beneficiary under the state-administered general assistance program”, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 reduced state funeral and burial allowance from $1,800 to $1,400 and increased from $2,800 to $3,200 the amount that may be contributed to such cost before state subsidy is reduced, effective July 1, 2015; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 designated existing provisions re commissioner to give certain persons proper funeral and burial and payment of sum for same as Subsec. (a) and amended same to reduce maximum payment from $1,400 to $1,200, add new Subdiv. (4) re net value of liquid assets in decedent's estate, redesignate existing Subdiv. (4) re contributions from other sources as Subdiv. (5) and amend same to increase $3,200 to $3,400 and replace “veterans' and other benefit programs and other” with “veterans programs and other benefit programs”, and make technical changes, and added Subsec. (b) re adoption of regulations, effective July 1, 2016; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by adding “that names a funeral home, cemetery or crematory as a beneficiary”, and adding provision re disclosure of information regarding liquid assets whenever payment is reduced due to such assets, effective October 31, 2017; P.A. 19-117 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing burial allowance from $1,200 to $1,350, effective July 1, 2019.