Frequently Asked Questions

Anatomical Donation & Cremation

What is the cost to my family?
By donating there is no cost associated. Procuring agencies pay all the costs.
With IMS, the process of cremation starts at the highly competitive price of $895.00. For more details about what this cost covers please contact us.

Who is eligible?
Almost anyone can donate regardless of organ transplant donation, age or location. Most illnesses and past surgeries are accepted. Donors are screened to ensure safety and suitability of the donation for medical research and training. Donation exceptions include: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B & C, active tuberculosis or syphilis. Other considerations include severe obesity, decomposition, trauma or extensive orthopedic surgeries.

Must a person be registered to donate?
No. In most states it is allowed for the next of kin to consent for donation of a deceased relative. However, registration in advance helps answer many questions for the next of kin and puts your decision to donate in writing.

Will my family be able to request cremated remains and additional certified death certificate copies?
Yes. The next of kin can authorize cremation, request additional death certificates, and arrange for the return of cremated remains.

Who are the legal next of kin?
By state law the closest relatives of a deceased person are the legal next of kin. For most states the closest relatives are recognized as a spouse and the nearest blood relatives.

How long does it take to receive the cremated remains and death certificates?
Every effort is made to expedite the return of cremated remains and the certified death certificate. Typically, within 4 to 6 weeks cremated remains and death certificates are available depending on how quickly the county where death occurs issues them.

Green Burial

What does the cost cover?
The majority of the cost goes into the conservation and maintinance of the memorial landscapes natural environment. For a more comprehensive breakdown, please contact us and we'll try to answer all your questions.

Is a green burial safe for the enviornment?
Actually, by creating memorial landscapes we will protect or improve our existing environment. In memorial landscapes, burial is never immediately adjacent to streams, and the density of burials is much less than for conventional cemeteries. While the human body does contain bacteria and viruses at death, many of these die or become inert within hours or days and almost all are inert within 5 years. By returning the areas to natural vegetation, expectations are for an improvement of adjacent waterways-and greater biological diversity over time.

How does one find a burial site? How are burial sites managed without markers?
Stone markers are allowed, but not required, as long as they are of area natural stone and are employed in a way to enhance ecological restoration. However, other technologies have been developed to assure that family members can easily find graves with no individual rock marker. All of this information is carefully entered into data-bases that will be archived electronically and on paper.