A special benefit is granted to defray the funeral expenses of an adult or dependant child, up to a maximum of $2,500 per deceased person. The same applies to a stillborn child or a child who was sheltered by an institution operating a rehabilitation centre or taken in charge by an intermediate resource, a foster family or a tutor appointed by the court.
Note that the special benefit for funeral expenses will not be granted if the deceased had a contract, valued at more than $12,000, for the advance arrangement of funeral services or advance purchase of a sepulchre.
Funeral expenses may include any expenses related to the funeral, including the transportation of the body for internment in his or her region of origin, until the maximum amount of the benefit is reached.
120-day time limit
The application for the special benefit must be submitted to the band council within 120 days following the date the services were provided. Late applications will be refused, with the exception of the following situations:
- The applicant demonstrated that he or she was prevented from acting earlier;
- The delay is due to the late response of the RRQ*. Given that a person must submit an application for funeral expenses to the RRQ and that the Band Council must wait for the RRQ’s decision before rendering its own, a person’s application made after 120 days may be accepted so long as he or she applied to the RRQ within 60 days of the death, and to the Band Council within 120 days following the response from the RRQ.
*Where the deceased person's relatives can confirm that the person worked outside the community for more than three years, they will need to apply for the QPP death benefit. Alternatively, the income assistance agent may determine whether it is necessary to apply for the QPP on a case-by-case basis.
New application
This benefit may also be paid for an independent adult who was not a beneficiary of last resort financial assistance. Eligibility is determined based on the person’s situation on the day of his or her death. For this situation, eligibility for financial assistance does not need to be determined.
For couples and families, the application for a special benefit must be reviewed as part of a new application for assistance. All the rules relating to the new application apply.
If the family situation is that of a couple at the time of the death of an adult, this situation is used to determine the amount payable for the funeral expenses, even if the new application for funeral expenses is submitted more than 3 months after the date of death because the applicant was waiting for the RRQ’s response. No last resort financial assistance will be granted for this couple’s application.
Application for an independent adult
The attribution rules for a person with a severely limited capacity for employment apply.
Application for a family member (including single parent families)
The following people are automatically recognized as having severely limited capacity for employment:
- a recipient of a disability pension;
- a person administered by a Public Curator for health reasons;
- a person with a diagnosis allowing for immediate eligibility for the severely limited capacity for employment allowance;
- a person who is already a recipient and is recognized as having severely limited capacity for employment.
Maximum amount of $2,500 (or the amount requested [the lower of the two amounts])
Upon the review of the application for this special benefit, certain amounts must be deducted from the maximum amount payable:
- the benefits payable at death.
In the case of an INDEPENDENT ADULT*, the following amounts must also be deducted from the special benefit, without applying the exemptions prescribed by the Framework Policy:
- All of the adult’s liquid assets ON THE DAY OF DEATH, including the revenues that have not been cashed in or the residue of these revenues if they have been cashed. However, the revenues received or receivable after the day of death are not considered liquid assets nor revenue.
However, cheques made out by the deceased and cashed within 30 days following the day of death as well as pre-authorized payments to be withdrawn within 30 days following the day of death are subtracted from the liquid assets.
- The value of all assets minus the deceased’s debts at the time. All assets will be considered and included. The total value of assets, whether movable or immovable (e.g. automobile, snowmobile, furniture, house, land, cottage), must be determined. From these assets, the debts of the person at the time of his or her death must be deducted, including current debts, loans and other debts (e.g. unpaid rent in the month of the death or in previous months, mortgage, credit card balances, suppliers’ outstanding accounts, IOUs).When the amount of the debts is higher than the value of the assets, a value of zero will be attributed to the deceased’s assets when calculating the special benefit.
*The requirement to obtain a bank statement of a deceased single adult who was an Income Security Program recipient may be assessed by the agent on a case-by-case basis. When the agent has doubts about the deceased recipient's financial situation, they may require a bank statement to be provided for that person to determine the amount of the special funeral benefit.
Repatriation of the remains
When the death occurs outside the person’s place of residence, the special benefit for funeral services includes the costs associated with repatriating the remains.
Recipient of the special benefit
The special benefit is payable to the person who took responsibility for the deceased’s remains, namely:
- a spouse or a person related through civil union, regardless of the fact that they were separated in fact or legally (the benefit is not payable when the persons are divorced or when a civil union was terminated by judgment or by notarial deed; the same applies for former common law spouses, unless the former spouse applies in his or her capacity of legal tutor for the minor child who is heir);
- a common law spouse (including a person with whom the deceased lived for less than 12 months);
- a RELATIVE of the deceased, as far removed as a first cousin (e.g. child, father, mother, stepfather, stepmother, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, nephew, niece, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, cousins and their spouses, regardless of the type of union [married or common law]);
- a family-type resource (FOSTER FAMILY) and intermediary resource in which the deceased was placed;
- a MEMBER OF THE CLERGY;
- PUBLIC CURATOR;
- any person who claims the body of the deceased and agrees to assume the funeral expenses.
One of the above-mentioned people may designate any other person to act as proxy. This person may be the executor of the will or any other person designated by the will.
Supplier(s)
Upon request of that person and with his or her written authorization, a special allowance may be paid directly to the supplier(s) (e.g. funeral home, manufacturer).
Person not authorized to apply for the special benefit
In cases involving an unauthorized person, such as a person who has not claimed the body and has not agreed to assume the funeral expenses, then, generally speaking, the provisions of the Act respecting Medical Laboratories, Organ and Tissue Conservation and the Disposal of Human Bodies apply. Applicants must approach the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Capitale Nationale if the person died of natural causes. The doctor in charge will advise the applicant on the procedures to follow.
Violent death or unknown cause of death
In the case of a violent death or where the cause of death is unknown, i.e. the coroner has intervened and the body has not been claimed by a family member, the Act respecting the Determination of the Causes and Circumstances of Death applies. In this situation, the claimant is referred to the Ministère de la Sécurité publique.
The adult who is no longer part of the family within the meaning of the Framework Policy
An adult who is no longer part of a family within the meaning of the Framework Policy is treated as an independent adult for the calculation of the special benefit.
Sheltered adult
A sheltered adult is eligible for the special benefit to cover his or her funeral expenses.
Adult with a spouse eligible for the 66/72 allowance
An income security recipient with a spouse eligible for the 66/72 allowance is not considered a single adult in this situation.
A stillborn child or a minor child who is no longer in the care of an adult
When determining needs, the minor child or the child who is not in the care of an adult may not be included in the size of the family unless there is a reinsertion plan in place. However, the child is eligible for the special benefit for funeral expenses. However, the child may not be included in the size of the family to determine needs when there is no reinsertion plan or when that plan has not started yet. The special benefit may also be granted in the context of a new application. The application must be reviewed based on the family composition, not including the child. All the rules relating to new applications apply.
Live birth
The certificate of live birth determines if the child was born live or stillborn. If the child was viable at birth, he or she is considered in the size of the family for a period of three (3) months following the event. However, if the child was stillborn, he or she is not included in the size of the family. Only the special benefit for funeral expenses is granted.
Sponsored person
The application for the special benefit for funeral expenses may also be assessed for a sponsored person since the sponsorship arrangement does not provide coverage for this need.
DEATH BENEFITS mean:
- the proceeds of a life insurance policy of the deceased payable to the SUCCESSION;
- A) if the beneficiary of the policy is the succession or the assigns or the beneficiaries designated by the will, the proceeds of the policy must be subtracted from the special benefit;
- B) if the beneficiary of the policy is designated BY NAME, the proceeds of the policy CANNOT be subtracted from the special benefit;
- the benefits paid by the Régie des rentes du Québec, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, the Canada Pension Plan or the Department of Veterans Affairs Canada to cover the costs of funeral expenses or to serve as death benefits.
DEATH BENEFITS DO NOT INCLUDE donations from third parties to give the deceased a more expensive funeral. Nor do they include the proceeds of a mortgage life insurance policy if the succession cannot collect the proceeds directly. This amount is therefore paid to the deceased’s mortgage creditor to ensure that the latter is paid the amount owed.
When the funeral expenses of an adult or dependent child are in part or in whole covered by a contract for the advance arrangement of funeral expenses or advance purchase of a sepulchre, the benefit is not payable if the contract is valued at more than $12,000.
This benefit is reduced by the benefits payable at death and, in the case of an independent adult, by the total liquid assets and value of property minus the debts of that adult at the time of death.
The death benefit is the lesser of the following two amounts:
- $2,500;
- The amount of the contract for the advance arrangement of funeral services and additional costs.