OLYMPIA, Wash. — It may be morbid, but it’s a reality for funeral home leaders across the state: Washington law currently requires mortuaries to keep unclaimed bodies in coolers for at least 90 days. At that point, they can cremate them and honorably dispose of the remains, but in the meantime it's creating capacity issues, according to Washington funeral directors.
That's why, this legislative session in Olympia, those same mortuary directors are pushing for a shorter minimum time window.
House Bill 1974 passed out of the House with unanimous support from 97 House lawmakers Monday, and it now moves to the Senate.
In the testimony for this bill, funeral home directors asked lawmakers to help ease a bottleneck in the system that they say is making things even more difficult for grieving families.
“There are times when, with tears in their eyes, people look at us and say, 'I wish I could do this. I just simply can't,'" said Corey Gaffney, president and CEO of the Gaffney Group.
He said families are liable for the costs of their loved ones' disposition, but unfortunately in this economic climate, even at it’s cheapest, death can be expensive for many. For those who just need the cremation, Gaffney said it can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000, and that is not including a funeral.
But more often than ever, Gaffney said they are hearing from relatives who are choosing not to claim their loved one.
"The economy is struggling right now, everyone's dollars aren't going as far as they used to, you know, whether it's gasoline or inflation, or what have you," said Gaffney. "Families look at us and say, 'I can't, I can't, I can't afford this.' You know? And we go, 'Okay, well, you know, let us see what we can do in terms of helping you make different decisions.' And some families unfortunately say, 'No, no, you don't understand. I can't afford any of it.'"
For this reason, he said, the remains are more commonly and deliberately going unclaimed. By law, they have to store them in coolers for at least 90 days; something Gaffney said is leading to a lack of cooler space, especially in the smaller funeral homes.
The resulting impact means families are having a hard time finding space for their departed loved one.
"You call that business, and they say, 'Sorry, we can't help you, we’re full,'" said Gaffney.
Then, of course, there’s the the fentanyl crisis.
On one hand, Gaffney says, "I can't sit here and say a lot more people are dying."
But he did say he feels that they're seeing more families who didn’t expect to need his services.
"There are a lot of young people who are passing away whether it be through you know, fentanyl or other substance overdoses," he said.
As of 2022, accidental overdose became the leading cause of death for young Washingtonians.
Understandably, these tragedies are sending a shock through families-- and their pocketbooks.
So Gaffney said he hopes Senate lawmakers help them to ease up their cooler space.
"This legislation and what it will do for funeral service as a whole, it will just help us to be more efficient,” said Gaffney.
One lawmaker brought up a concern about murder victims, and whether cutting that time period down to 30 or 45 days might tamper with evidence. But two funeral directors we spoke to told us the homes don’t even receive the remains until a coroner’s autopsy, evidence-gathering and investigation is entirely complete.
You may be wondering: are funerals themselves more expensive in this time of high inflation?
According to the 2021 National Funeral Directors Association, that answer is yes; the median cost of a funeral has increased 6.6% over the past five years. However, the rising of funeral costs is not keeping up with the pace of overall inflation. The overall rate of inflation was nearly 14% for the same time period.
"The funeral home is required to provide you with a general price list that will let you know what all the prices are of all the services that they offer. So you can do your homework a little bit and be somewhat prepared, at least up to a certain point," said Rob Goff, executive director of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association. "Back in the early 90s, through DSHS, there was a program that did help with disposition costs for people, but that was something that concluded in the early 90s."
Goff added, "We're hoping that through expediting to a 45-day, we can continue and move forward in providing a dignified and proper disposition for those remains."