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My now deceased grandmother's life insurance has lapsed. What can we do?

My grandmother passed away this weekend after a long battle with gastric cancer. She's let her insurance with AARP lapse since February and never told any of her kids. Her late husband was put to rest by the Philadelphia police department, but I don't know if that covers the spouse as well. Everyone is broke and have no kind of collateral. What can we do? UPDATE: I forgot to mention she has already been cremated, but they won't give us the ashes until we have the money.

Public Comments

1. You need to be candid with the funeral home. Many areas have programs to help with indigent burials, but will ask to see financial records for both your mother and you/your siblings before authorizing assistance.
2. Sorry for your loss. Try the police department to see if they might allow your grandma to be burried in the same place as your grandfather. If he got assistance with money in the burial then you may be out of luck. Call and ask them. There are also cremation alternitives too. Call some funeral homes for some quotes.
3. Well, you can call the Philly PD to see if there's any spousal coverage, or if the spouse is entitled to a publicly funded funeral. There's nothing you can do about that private insurance, since it lapsed way before she passed.
4. If her insurance policy lapsed, you are out of luck. If you cannot pay for her burial, the city will handle the body it but if you give up your right to claim the body they may send it for medical research instead of burial. You mean collateral for a loan to bury her ? Maybe you can pool your resources and sell some things to pay for the burial, or have her cremated for less. Then all you have to buy is a marker. It is a shame when people dont make funeral plans ahead of time and the family is stuck.
5. So sorry about your grandmother's passing. You might check to see if the AARP policy had a cash value; if not, you're out of luck there. Also, you may want to check with the city (www.phila.gov for contact information) to see if they or the FOP (police union) could do something. Check with a few funeral homes to see if they will work with you regarding payment; you may want to consider certain options such as cremation, no embalming, etc. Also (worst case scenario - check with the city to see if they have a sort of Potter's Field - burial spot for the indingent). Moral of story to all: try to keep your loved ones in the loop regarding your insurance status. Good luck!
6. I dealt with this issue for a family friend. We live in PA. Talk to the funeral director. They can handle the arrangements and the state pays him. But the funeral has to be simple. They'll ask your family to contribute whatever you can. Perhaps she left some assets to be sold,like a house, or bank accounts.