Stevens County Commissioners: A change in County Burial Policy

At their regular meeting on Tuesday, the Stevens County Board of Commissioners approved a change in the County Burial Policy. Previously, to be eligible for a County burial, the deceased had to have assets not exceeding $12,000. The Commissioners approved a decrease in that amount, so that now assets must not exceed $6,000 for an approved County burial. The County has dealt with the issue twice in the last three weeks. There was some discussion at the meeting about homeless residents. The family of the deceased is supposed to pay for a burial. If the person had been on Public Assistance, then Stevens County must be the County of financial responsibility. The deceased must be a resident of the County at the time of death. Citizenship does not factor into residency. The County does not pay for out-of-state burials. The policy is also applicable to fetuses of 20 weeks or more, stillborns or any live births.