On this page:
Funeral Directors' Numeric Billing List
Deaths registered with Oregon Vital Records by county location of funeral home
Death occurred in:
2012 (updated January 25, 2013)- 2011 (updated January 25, 2013)
- 2010 (updated July 25, 2012)
- 2009 (updated June 24, 2010)
- 2008 (updated May 21, 2009)
- 2007
2006 - 2005
Indigent Disposition Fund and Reimbursement for Services
The purpose of the Indigent Disposition Fund is to provide licensed funeral service practitioners with reimbursement for services for the disposition of unclaimed indigent bodies. The Public Health Division, in collaboration with the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board, administers this fund and oversees reimbursement for services.
Read more about the fund requirements and reimbursement process:
Indigent Disposition Fund Requirements
Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 97.170 defines a deceased indigent person as a deceased person who:
- Does not have a death or final expense benefit or insurance policy that pays for disposition of the deceased person’s body;
- Has no other means to pay for disposition of the deceased person’s body; and
- Has no relative or other person with the legal right to direct, and the means to pay for disposition of the deceased person’s body.
ORS 97.170 also identifies the rules for the disposition of an unclaimed body of a deceased person, and the requirements a licensed funeral service practitioner must meet in order to receive reimbursement from the fund.
A licensed funeral service practitioner who takes custody of an unclaimed body must complete and document the following required actions before disposition:
- Verify that the medical examiner or health care facility that transferred the body attempted to locate and notify relatives or other interested persons of the deceased.
- Attempt to locate and notify relatives or other interested persons of the deceased within five days of taking the body if the medical examiner or health care facility did not attempt to locate and notify relatives or other interested persons of the deceased.
- Contact all institutions named on the most current list approved by the State Demonstrator of Anatomy (503-494-8302) to determine if the unclaimed body is desired for educational or research purposes.
If, after taking and documenting these actions, the licensed funeral service practitioner has not found a party to claim the body, the licensed funeral service practitioner must use the least costly and most environmentally sound manner available in the disposition of the unclaimed body of a deceased person.
How to Request Reimbursement
To request reimbursement for services the licensed funeral service practitioner must submit:
Submit the itemized statement of expenses and completed application to:
Indigent Disposition Coordinator
Oregon Public Health Division
800 NE Oregon St, Suite 930
Portland, OR 97232
Reimbursement Process
The Public Health Division disburses reimbursement for services on a monthly basis. Applications received between the tenth day of a month and the ninth day of the following month make up the total number of applications eligible for reimbursement in that month.
The amount of reimbursement is based on funds available and the number of applications received. The total amount of reimbursement cannot exceed the total amount of funds available at the close of the accounting period. Funds are distributed proportionately among the licensed funeral service practitioners that submitted applications in the month. The maximum reimbursement is the amount of the invoice or $650, whichever is less.
Contact us for more information.