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Indigent Remains Program offered by Public Health - Seattle & King County's Medical Examiner

Indigent Remains Program offered by Public Health - Seattle & King County's Medical Examiner

Administers a program to provide cremation for a deceased person if next of kin cannot be found or the family meets the financial eligibility requirements. There are no provisions for a funeral service. Decedents in the program are cremated, and then stored in a secure location at the King County Medical Examiner's Office until a ceremony and burial are held, typically every two years.   The decedents are buried in individual containers in shared plots, and records are kept for each one so that they may be recovered at a later point in time if a family member requests.

Physical Address

908 Jefferson Street, Seattle, WA 98104

Hours

M-F, 8:30am-5pm.

Application process

Contact a local funeral home. Most funeral homes know about this program and will assist families in filling out the necessary forms to apply. Verification process takes around 21 days.

Fee

None.

Eligibility

Deceased person and immediate family must have no assets or are on public assistance, Social Security, etc.   Screens for eligibility.

Agency info

Public Health - Seattle & King County's Medical Examiner

Investigates and determines the cause and manner of sudden, violent, suspicious and non-natural deaths occurring in King County. Administers the indigent disposition program, which provides cremation funds for deceased persons, if next of kin cannot be found or if person and immediate family have no assets.