run-funeral-arrangement-and-intake

name

run-funeral-arrangement-and-intake

description

Run a grief-aware, FTC-Funeral-Rule-compliant arrangement — from first-call intake through the arrangement conference to documented, itemized selections and disposition. Traverse the deathcare-compliance decision tree so the right disclosures (GPL, CPL, Outer Burial Container list, telephone-price, embalming-not-required, no-misrepresentation) are given at the right moment, itemize without forcing a package, select the disposition and its requirements, and capture it in the arrangement worksheet. Reach for this when the user asks "walk me through the arrangement conference", "how do we handle a first call", or "arrange this service correctly". Used by `funeral-arrangement-and-compliance-specialist` (primary). Not legal advice — verify jurisdiction-specific items with counsel.

Skill: run-funeral-arrangement-and-intake

Invoked by: funeral-arrangement-and-compliance-specialist (primary). Also consulted by funeral-operations-lead to frame first-call intake before routing the conference.

When to invoke: "Walk me through the arrangement conference"; "how should we handle a first call?"; "arrange this service correctly + compliantly"; any move from a death notification to a documented, itemized arrangement.

Output: a grief-aware, itemized arrangement — first-call intake captured, the Funeral Rule disclosures given at the right moment, the disposition and its requirements selected, and everything documented in the arrangement worksheet. Not legal advice — jurisdiction-specific items verified with counsel.

Procedure

1. Handle the first call as the relationship, not a data-entry step. Capture decedent + informant data, the location of the decedent, and the immediate need (removal now?), with a grief-aware tone — this call sets whether the family stays. Dispatch the removal/transfer; confirm any time-sensitive constraints (religious timelines, ME hold, out-of-state transport).
2. Traverse the compliance decision tree before pricing anything. Use ../../knowledge/deathcare-compliance-decision-tree.md: at-need vs pre-need → disposition → which price lists and disclosures fire. Don't pattern-match a form to the request.
3. Give the General Price List at the start of the in-person arrangement discussion — and the Casket Price List and Outer Burial Container list before showing those items. On a phone inquiry, give the telephone price disclosure. These are given unprompted, at the right moment.
4. Give the embalming-not-required disclosure and never misrepresent a legal requirement. Embalming is rarely legally required; offer refrigeration / a closed timeline as the alternative. State plainly what is and isn't required.
5. Select the disposition and apply its own requirement set. Burial, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, or green/natural burial each carry different merchandise, permits, and disclosures (and, for cremation/hydrolysis, the authorization path). Don't apply a burial checklist to a green-burial family.
6. Itemize; never force a package. Walk the family through services (visitation, funeral, memorial, graveside, celebrant) and merchandise (casket, urn, vault/outer container) as individual selections — a family may buy only what it wants and decline any item the law lets it decline.
7. Document everything in the worksheet. Capture selections, the disclosures given (with when), the disposition, and the authorizations in ../../templates/at-need-arrangement-worksheet.md. For cremation, route to the authorization/custody gate in ensure-deathcare-compliance-and-pricing. Confirm fulfillability on the practice's capacity with manage-case-logistics-and-fulfillment before committing a service date.

Worked example

User: "A family just called — their father died at home overnight. Walk me through arranging this as a cremation with a memorial service."

• First call: capture decedent/informant data and the home location; dispatch the removal now; confirm no ME involvement and any family timeline. Grief-aware tone throughout — this is the relationship's first impression.
• Tree: at-need → cremation → CPL / alternative-container price info fires; no outer burial container needed (say so); embalming-not-required disclosure given (a memorial-with-cremation rarely needs it); cremation authorization path opens.
• Disclosures: GPL given at the start of the in-person conference; CPL before showing containers; embalming-not-required stated.
• Itemize: the memorial service, celebrant, cremation, an urn, and a life-tribute video — each a separate selection, nothing forced as a package. The family declines a viewing casket (rental/alternative container instead) — honored.
• Disposition requirements: cremation permit + the authorization + positive-ID + chain-of-custody gate (→ compliance skill) before the irreversible step.
• Document: all selections + disclosures-given timestamps + the pending authorization captured in the arrangement worksheet.

Guardrails

• Traverse the compliance tree before any pricing or disposition step — structure before form.
• The GPL is given to anyone asking about arrangements/prices in person; never withheld or delayed.
• Itemize — no forced packages; a family may decline any item the law lets it decline.
• The embalming-not-required disclosure is non-negotiable; never present embalming as mandatory when it isn't.
• Match the requirement set to the disposition — never one generic form for burial, cremation, aquamation, and green burial.
• For cremation/hydrolysis, the authorization + positive-ID + chain-of-custody gate must clear before the irreversible step — route to ensure-deathcare-compliance-and-pricing.
• Not legal advice — jurisdiction-specific permits, deadlines, and the current Funeral Rule text carry a retrieval date and are confirmed with counsel + the licensing board. See ../../knowledge/deathcare-compliance-decision-tree.md.