Funeral Services Burial & Cemetery Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'cemetery deed' or 'interment right'?
- Ownership of the land in a cemetery
- The right to use a specific grave space for interment (Correct answer)
- Permission to build a mausoleum
- A lease agreement for a columbarium niche
Correct answer: The right to use a specific grave space for interment
A cemetery deed or interment right grants the purchaser the right to use a specific grave space for burial, but does not convey ownership of the land itself.
Question 2: What federal law regulates the sale of cemetery goods and services for veterans' benefits?
- FTC Funeral Rule
- National Cemetery Improvement Act
- Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act
- Title 38 of the US Code (Department of Veterans Affairs regulations) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Title 38 of the US Code (Department of Veterans Affairs regulations)
Title 38 of the US Code governs veterans' burial benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including eligibility for national cemetery burial.
Question 3: What is a 'perpetual care' fund at a cemetery?
- A trust fund for pre-paying funeral expenses
- A fund used to maintain the cemetery grounds in perpetuity (Correct answer)
- An endowment for cemetery security services
- A fund that pays for staff training
Correct answer: A fund used to maintain the cemetery grounds in perpetuity
A perpetual care fund is a trust required by most states that ensures ongoing maintenance and upkeep of cemetery grounds after all plots are sold.
Question 4: What is 'disinterment'?
- Transferring burial rights to another person
- The legal removal of already-buried human remains (Correct answer)
- The process of purchasing a burial plot
- Closing a grave after interment
Correct answer: The legal removal of already-buried human remains
Disinterment (exhumation) is the legal process of removing previously interred human remains from a grave, typically requiring a court order or government permit.
Question 5: What is a 'double-depth' burial?
- A grave twice as wide as standard
- A grave with two burial spaces, one above the other (Correct answer)
- A burial requiring two outer burial containers
- A cemetery plot reserved for two adjacent spaces
Correct answer: A grave with two burial spaces, one above the other
A double-depth burial (or tandem burial) places two sets of remains in a single grave, one at a standard depth and one deeper below it.
Question 6: Which grave marker type is typically required in national veterans cemeteries?
- Custom headstones of any design
- Uniform government-issued headstones or flat markers (Correct answer)
- Bronze plaques only
- Temporary markers until a family chooses a permanent one
Correct answer: Uniform government-issued headstones or flat markers
National veterans cemeteries require uniform, government-issued headstones or flat markers to maintain the dignified, consistent appearance of the cemetery.
Funeral Services Burial & Cemetery Practices 2
What is a 'cemetery deed' or 'interment right'?