Dear yasasha-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. Your willingness to repay a kindness shown to you in your
time of need is indeed an admirable one and you should be commended. I
hope my research covers all of the aspects of funeral services
licensure and governance in the State of Pennsylvania. I believe I
have listed everything you will need to know about the issue. Let?s
begin with the laws that govern the profession. You will find all of
the laws, requirements and fees in the Pennsylvania Code. Please take
a few minutes to examine these statutes because the laws regarding
this industry are strictly regulated and rather difficult to learn in
their entirety:
PENNSYLVANIA CODE
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter13/chap13toc.html
Now let me explain who is who in the industry. This is important for you to know:
In Pennsylvania the Pennsylvania State Department?s Bureau of
Professional and Occupational Affairs governs the professional
licensing of (among other occupations) funeral directors.
You can contact them here:
BUREAU OF PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS
P.O. Box 2649
Harrisburg, PA
17105
Phone: 717-787-8503
Web site: http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/site/default.asp
The Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors falls under their
guidance. They can be contacted here:
STATE BOARD OF FUNERAL DIRECTORS
P.O. Box 2649, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649
Phone: (717) 783-3397
Fax: (717) 705-5540
Email: ST-FUNERAL@state.pa.us
Web Site: http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/cwp/view.asp?a=1104&q=433975
Here you will find the State Board of Funeral Directors rules,
regulations and licensure information required of Pennsylvania funeral
directors:
STATE BOARD OF FUNERAL DIRECTORS ? BOARD SERVICES
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/cwp/view.asp?a=1104&q=434122
As you can see, you will need to obtain a license to direct funerals
in the State of Pennsylvania. You can obtain the necessary training,
take the required tests and pay the fees or in some instances a
?Limited Funeral Director License? may be all you need. A limited
license will allow you to, on occasion, remove, transport and bury
dead human bodies and to conduct funeral services, but not to
advertise yourself or make the claim that you are duly a licensed
funeral director in the State of Pennsylvania. This may be an option
for you especially if you don?t intend to do it full time. Here is the
Application for a Limited Funeral Director?s License:
APPLICATION FOR A LIMITED FUNERAL DIRECTOR?S LICENSE
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/lib/bpoa/20/fun_board/limited_fd_license0703.pdf
Funeral directors licensure and endorsement examination information
can be obtained from:
PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIAL SERVICES
PA Funeral Director Coordinator
P.O. Box 198689
Nashville, TN 37219-8689
Phone: 877-887-9727
Fax: 615-846-0153
Web site: http://www.pcshq.com
(Yes, I realize this is in Tennessee, but this IS the company that
handles such things for the State of Pennsylvania)
Should you find a funeral home willing to let you provide Russian
services using their facility, you can indeed share the same facility.
To do this you will need to fill out an Application for Shared Funeral
Establishment and submit the $150.00 fee to the ?Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania?. The application is here:
APPLICATION FOR SHARED FUNERAL ESTABLISHMENT
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/lib/bpoa/20/fun_board/shared_establishment072903.doc
Applications for a variety of other purposes and the fee schedules can
be found on the State Board of Funeral Director?s web site:
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/cwp/view.asp?a=1104&q=434122
I highly recommend you contact these two organizations for direction
on establishing the unique services you so generously hope to be able
to provide. They can undoubtedly provide you with advice, tips and
support in your efforts:
PENNSYLVANIA FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
http://www.pfda.org/
NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
http://www.nfda.org/
Another thing you may not have considered perhaps is becoming a
liaison between your mainstream English speaking funeral homes and the
Russian-speaking community. In this way you might be able to make sure
that they receive the quality services they require and desire without
actually having to go through the process of becoming a funeral
director yourself. You might approach some of your local funeral homes
or perhaps some of your Russian-speaking clergy members in order to
gain support for your idea. It may be more feasible for you to act as
the in-service translator and services coordinator to insure that each
service meets the strict criteria of the Russian-speaking or
Russian-American clients? needs. By working with an existing funeral
home you could also act as their primary support person to help those
in the Russian cultural community to make the proper arrangements
commensurate with their cultural or religious needs and to aid the
families in their time of grief in the manner in which they can easily
and comfortably relate. From what I can tell, this type of position
would not require a Funeral Director license, insurance or exam and
you could devote much more time and effort into achieving the same
goal, and begin doing so almost immediately.
I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
PENNSYLVANIA FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
http://www.pfda.org/
NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
http://www.nfda.org/
STATE BOARD OF FUNERAL DIRECTORS - NEWS
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/LIB/bpoa/20/10/funnews02.pdf
PENNSYLVANIA CODE
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter13/chap13toc.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
PENNSYLVANIA
FUNERAL BOARD
FUNERAL INDUSTRY
LICENSE
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CERTIFICATION
EXAMINATION
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