The contract manager follows procedures for small purchases. The allowable expenses for funeral services are limited to:

 •  transportation of the body;

 •  embalming;

 •  a coffin;

 •  burial or cremation;

 •  grave plot;

 •  headstone or memorial marker; and

 •  other reasonable and necessary burial expenses.

Burial funds may not be used for:

 •  floral arrangements; or

 •  limousine transportation for the family or other individuals.

The caseworker uses as much of the DFPS burial funding as is needed to cover the allowable expenses after applying contributions provided by the parents and community partners. Contributions from parents and community partners may be used for floral arrangements, police escort, limousine transportation, or catering depending on their preferences.

The payment process is initiated by requesting that the selected funeral home submit the invoice for services to the contract manager. The bill must contain:

 •  the child’s name; and

 •  the name, physical address, and vendor identification number (VIN) of the funeral home.

The payment process also requires a completed Form 4116 with the following statements in the Comments section of Form 4116:

 •  Funeral expenses for the CPS child (name)

 •  Date of birth (mm/dd/yy)

 •  IMPACT ID (#xxxxxxxxxxx)

The contract manager sends the bill to the CPS budget analyst in state office. Processing and payment may take several weeks.