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INDUSTRY NEWS 2007 Federal Budget Proposes Elimination of $255 Social Security Death Benefit The Bush Administration's proposed budget for fiscal year 2007 cuts a number of benefits including the $255 lump sum survivor's death benefit paid by the Social Security Administration. This particular proposal has become a lightning rod of criticism and has been denounced from the floor of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The ICFA contacted the staffs of several key leaders in both houses of Congress to gauge the likelihood of whether the $255 benefit would in fact be eliminated. A clear consensus quickly developed that this particular cut would not be approved. The ICFA will continue to monitor the budget negotiations but this aspect of the proposed budget seems, to quote a popular political phrase, DOA (dead on arrival). VA Seeks ICFA Assistance in Veterans Burial Program Evaluation This week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contacted the ICFA to request the association's assistance in a formal evaluation of the VA Burial Program. The VA operates 122 national cemeteries under the National Cemetery Administration as well as providing related benefits including, under certain circumstances, a cash benefit toward a veteran's funeral and burial expenses. Headstones and markers are also provided, along with burial flags and Presidential Memorial Certificates. The main objectives of the VA evaluation are to: "a.) determine the extent to which the VA Burial Program is achieving its expected outcomes, and b.) identify the program's impact on the eligible veteran population. Some related research objectives will identify potential barriers to achieving VA's expected outcomes." Members of the ICFA Government and Legal Affairs Committee will be participating in discussions with VA officials concerning the evaluation program. More information on VA burial benefits can be found online at www.va.gov. ICFA Invited to Participate in Conference on Potential Influenza Mass Fatalities The ICFA was recently invited to participate in a two-day working group conference to explore mass fatality management during a pandemic influenza event. The invitation was extended on behalf of the U.S. Northern Command, the Joint Task Force Civil Support, and in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the working group "is to bring knowledgeable members of the mortuary affairs community and other related subject matter experts within the federal, state, local and private sectors to identify and prioritize issues, to discuss and analyze selected topics and to develop a body of recommendations to effectively manage mass fatality during a pandemic influenza event." Among the areas of discussion are family assistance, call centers, religious and psychological support, logistics and communication, data management, private industry roles, operations, physical and mental health, search and recovery, law enforcement, social services, remains storage, identification and final disposition risk management. For more information concerning the issues involved in preparedness for a potential flu pandemic, check the following online sites: www.pandemicflu.gov, www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/flu.html, www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/flu.htm ICFA NEWS Advanced Seminar on Quality Funeral Care Now Online The ICFA and funeral director and educator Todd Van Beck will present a 14-credit-hour continuing education program at five convenient locations around the United States during 2006. The Advanced Seminar in Quality Funeral Care is a certificate program through which funeral home owners, managers and employees will learn how to apply the principles of quality funeral service. The seminars will be held throughout the year at the following locations:
OSHA Training CDs For Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, Crematories Now Available The International Cemetery and Funeral Association now offers a series of 10 OSHA compliance training CDs to enable business owners to present a consistent message on important safety topics and satisfy their OSHA training requirements. The CDs also make it easy to document training efforts through user-friendly forms, quizzes and employee handouts. Each module comes complete with an audio-visual presentation on CD-ROM, a user's guide, instructor notes, student handouts, a quiz and completion certificates. Each module costs $80 for ICFA members and $95 for non-members and can be purchased by calling the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700. Modules included are:
The OSHA Training CDs were developed for the ICFA by TechneTrain Inc. The ICFA also offers an OSHA Compliance Manual through TechneTrain. The cost for the manual is $145 for ICFA members and $175 for non members. For additional information on the CDs or the manual and to place an order, call the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700. Annual Convention Registrations Top Previous Year With a month to go until the ICFA Annual Convention & Exposition, March 13-16 in Las Vegas, Nevada, registration numbers already are in excess of those from last year, and the Exposition Hall is 90 percent sold out. With additional registration forms and booth applications pouring in daily, this year's Convention will be the largest in the association's history in terms of attendance, educational programming and number of booths. Don't miss out on the most comprehensive Convention in the profession, covering all areas of funeral service, cemetery management, cremation and preneed sales. Attendees and exhibitors planning on attending this year's Convention should not delay in submitting their registration forms. For Convention program details and to access a registration form, visit www.icfa.org/ac06.htm or call 1.800.645.7700. For information on exhibiting, visit www.icfa.org/prospectus06.htm or call Nadira at 1.800.645.7700. Your Thoughts Matter! Take Part in the ICFA "Thinking Forward" Project What changes does our profession face today, and where do you think we'll be five, ten, 20 years from now? The ICFA has developed a "Thinking Forward" survey to allow you to share your observations on where our profession is headed based on current trends and future projections. We invite you to participate in this important project by taking the survey posted at www.icfa.org/thinking_forward.htm. The answers will be incorporated into future ICFA Conferences and responses will be reprinted in International Cemetery & Funeral Management magazine (with attribution if we have your permission; otherwise without attribution). We need your input to make this project work! For more information on the Thinking Forward Project and to download a survey, visit www.icfa.org/thinking_forward.htm. 2006 Annual Convention & Exposition: Fun For the Whole Family! Bring your whole family to Las Vegas for ICFA's 2006 Annual Convention and Exposition, March 13-16. At the Venetian, Resort, Hotel and Casino there are plenty of world-class restaurants, shops and entertainment to keep your family busy while you're networking and attending educational sessions. Some of the activities your family is sure to enjoy:
ICFA Congratulates 2005 KIP Award Winners The ICFA has announced the winners for the 2005 KIP Awards, which recognize outstanding examples of personalization of services or products in the cemetery and funeral service profession. A panel of four independent judges reviewed 39 entries in four separate categories: Magic Moment, Events, Most Personalized Service or Memorial and Innovative Personalized Products. A complete list of winner and descriptions of their entries can be found at www.icfa.org/kip_categories05.htm. Congratulations to the 2005 KIP Awards winners: Grand Prize (and First Place in the Most Personalized Service or Memorial Category): St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, New York Edward Horn, director of sales, marketing and community relations Queen's firefighters memorials Most Personalized Service or Memorial Honorable Mention: Anderson McQueen Funeral and Cremation Centers, St. Petersburg, Florida William McQueen, President and MKJ Marketing, Largo, Florida Marilyn Gould, President Two Personalized services for Dr. David K. Davis and Paul O. Jones (tied) Honorable Mention: Bronleewe Inc., Oregon Memorials, Hillsboro, Oregon Hibiki Miyazaki Brittany and Cory memorials (tied) Magic Moments First Place: Eternal Hills Memorial Gardens, Klamath Falls, Oregon Tim Lancaster, CCFE, executive vice president Twilight service Honorable Mention: Pinelawn Memorial Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Carolyn Schroeder, office manager "Garden of Angels" section for infant burials Honorable Mention: Krause Funeral Homes and Cremation Services, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mark Krause, CFuE, owner and MKJ Marketing, Largo, Florida Marilyn Gould, president Funeral reception rooms Honorable Mention: Nelsen Funeral Homes-Loving Pet Crematory, Richmond, Virginia Florida Blair Nelsen, CFuE, owner and MKJ Marketing, Largo, Florida Marilyn Gould, president Online Memorial Candle program Events First Place: Montelena Complejo Funerario, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, El Salvador, Central America Jose Alberto Samayoa Rivas, executive director Mass honoring Pope John Paul II Honorable Mention: White Haven Memorial Park, Pittsford, New York Andrea Vittum, CCE, president Quarterly remembrance services Honorable Mention: Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, Kelowna, British Columbia Dennis Radford, CCE, cemetery manager "Marking our Past - 100 Markers for 100 Years," program (to install markers on 100 of the 700 unmarked graves in its pioneer section) Innovative Personalized Product First Place: Funeria LLC, Graton, California Maureen Lomasney, president "Offerings" silver scattering vessel Honorable Mention: Assurant, Atlanta, Georgia, and MKJ Marketing, Largo, Florida Tom Barnard, vice president, development Remembrances Memory booth for funeral homes Honorable Mention: Candle Perfection, Scottsdale, Arizona Phyllis James, owner 'Light of Life' Candle Cremation Urn and Keepsafes CLASSIFIED ADS Cemetery For Sale Large 30 acre cemetery in metropolitan Atlanta, GA. Yearly interment average of 155 burials. Beautifully maintained by professional landscape firm. Highly focused on pre-need. Undeveloped property still remaining. Owner ready to sell. Contact Idtmw@aol.com or call 866-269-0681. Sales Manager Large, progressive cemeteries in Wisconsin seeking Sales Managers to take teams to the next level of sales as well as help us grow our entire company to a new level. Positions available in Milwaukee or Green Bay, Wisconsin; each with a wide variety of unique market options. Must be able to display strong leadership and public speaking skills as well as prove previous sales success. Our sales managers are expected to contribute to the sales volume of the team as well represent our family owned and operated facilities in a highly professional manner. Send resume to Christine Toson Hentges at christieh@tributeinc.com. See locations at www.pinelawn.net and www.forthoward.net. Computer Software Do you know where all your information is? Are you tired of the same old options out there? Are you looking for more from your computer system? MACCSTM, from FPA Software, is the complete mortuary and cemetery solution, providing all the functionality and features needed to effectively manage and operate a memorial park and mortuary today. From pre-need sales prospecting all the way through interment (and everything in between!), MACCSTM provides an easy to use, flexible, and completely integrated system for a memorial park and mortuary providing funeral services. Consistent with our approach of providing a completely integrated solution, the MACCSTM Mapping module provides GIS mapping capabilities integrated in real-time with information in the MACCSTM cemetery property database. Mortuary case management, service tracking, cemetery property management, integrated mapping, accounts receivable, pre-need trusts, serialized casket inventory, complete reporting and forms management - MACCS has it all. Please feel free to contact us at 818-501-3390 or visit our website at www.fpasoftware.com/maccs to learn more about MACCSTM. Sales Director "This is a unique opportunity for significant income and long term career potential..." Our firm recently completed a comprehensive Master Plan for a large, historic cemetery in Illinois. The plan includes a new veterans garden, columbaria, mausoleum complex, estate lots and more. We are seeking an individual to develop and manage the sales team that will introduce the new plan to the community. Must be experienced in all phases of cemetery sales and have demonstrated team building skills. Fax or email your resume in confidence to: W. R. Toson, President, 262.367.9992 fax, billt@tributeinc.com email. Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
And more ... The 2006 Music Licenses are available for just $220, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Join today! The ICFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds. The ICFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why. The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today! The ICFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today! Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICFA via an exclusive retainer agreement. ICFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600. The ICFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573. The ICFA Insurance Program, administered by Driver Alliant, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own. To advertise in the ICFA Wireless: The ICFA accepts limited advertising in the ICFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Kim Ferguson at kferguson@icfa.org or 1.800.645.7700. To unsubscribe from the ICFA Wireless: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: wireless@icfa.org. Please include your name and company name in the body of the e-mail. International Cemetery and Funeral Association 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100 Sterling, VA 20164 1.800.645.7700 703.391.8400 Fax: 703.391.8416 www.icfa.org Copyright 2006 International Cemetery and Funeral Association. |
