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In-service training kit for hospice teams

Hospice nurses, aides, social workers and chaplains are with families in the hours after a death, and families ask them what happens next. This kit lets your funeral home run a short, practical session that answers those questions, in about 56 minutes.

Two printable PDFs: a facilitator guide for you and handouts for the hospice team. Education only, never a referral pitch.

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Facilitator guide

  • Purpose, audience and how to set it up with the hospice's education coordinator
  • An agenda with timings (56 minutes)
  • Talking points and discussion questions for each of the eight modules
  • "Check your state" boxes to fill in where rules differ by state
  • A role-play, a five-question knowledge check and an answer key
  • A sign-in sheet and an evaluation form
  • A compliance box and a note on continuing education

Participant handouts

  • Quick reference: after a death at home
  • One page per module, with room for notes and your state's rules
  • Questions families ask us, with short answers
  • Your funeral home's name, presenter and phone on every page

For: hospice nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, bereavement coordinators.

Agenda

Eight short modules, an opening and a closing knowledge check.

Session agenda with minutes
PartMinutes
Welcome, purpose and introductions5
1. When death occurs at home under hospice7
2. Caring for the body before the funeral home arrives5
3. The transfer5
4. Burial, cremation and other options in plain words6
5. Paperwork: death certificate and permits5
6. Veterans4
7. Talking with families10
8. Grief and the months after4
Knowledge check, questions and evaluation5
Total56

The eight modules

  1. Module 1, 7 minutes

    When death occurs at home under hospice

    Who pronounces, who to call, what the family can do while they wait, and when the funeral home may take the person into its care.

    Includes a "Check your state" box: these rules differ by state.

    Sources: [1], [2]

  2. Module 2, 5 minutes

    Caring for the body before the funeral home arrives

    Respectful basics, what not to do, personal effects, medicines and medical devices.

    Includes a "Check your state" box: these rules differ by state.

    Sources: [3], [4]

  3. Module 3, 5 minutes

    The transfer

    What the funeral home team does when it arrives, how long it takes, and how hospice staff can help the family.

    Sources: [5]

  4. Module 4, 6 minutes

    Burial, cremation and other options in plain words

    Burial, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis and human composting where state law allows them, and green burial.

    Includes a "Check your state" box: these rules differ by state.

    Sources: [6], [7], [4], [8], [9], [10]

  5. Module 5, 5 minutes

    Paperwork: death certificate and permits

    Who signs the medical part of the death certificate, typical timing, and burial and cremation permits.

    Includes a "Check your state" box: these rules differ by state.

    Sources: [11], [12]

  6. Module 6, 4 minutes

    Veterans

    VA burial benefits, national cemetery eligibility, the DD-214 and how to start.

    Sources: [13], [14], [15], [16], [17]

  7. Module 7, 10 minutes

    Talking with families

    What families ask hospice staff about funerals, how to answer without steering, the right to a price list, and faith and cultural customs.

    Sources: [5], [7], [10], [18]

  8. Module 8, 4 minutes

    Grief and the months after

    Hospice bereavement services for up to a year, and how funeral homes and hospices can coordinate aftercare.

    Sources: [19], [20]

Module 4 points families to plain guides on burial, cremation and other options at FuneralUS.

A page from the handouts

The first handout page, a quick reference staff can keep. Your funeral home's name, presenter and phone number sit in the header of every page.

Your funeral homeParticipant handout

Quick reference: after a death at home

  1. Stay calm. An expected death under hospice is not an emergency. Follow your hospice's instructions: call the hospice, not 911.
  2. Call the hospice. The nurse comes to the home; who may pronounce death depends on state law and hospice policy.
  3. Note the time. The nurse records the time of death.
  4. Give the family time. There is no rush to call the funeral home.
  5. The nurse or the family calls the funeral home the family chose.
  6. Care for the person: flat on the back, pillow under the head, eyes closed, dentures in. Follow hospice policy.

and 4 more steps in the PDF.

This session is education, not a referral arrangement

  • The federal Anti-Kickback Statute makes it a crime to knowingly and willfully offer or pay anything of value to induce or reward referrals of items or services paid for by Medicare, Medicaid or other federal health care programs. Hospices are paid by those programs.
  • Nothing in this session is offered in exchange for referrals, and no one at the hospice is asked to recommend this funeral home.
  • OIG's compliance guidance for hospices warns against gifts, free services or other incentives meant to induce referrals. Keep refreshments modest. Do not give gifts, gift cards or payments to hospice staff, and nothing tied to referrals.
  • Families always choose their own funeral home. Say so in the session.
  • When in doubt, ask the hospice's compliance officer before the session.

Continuing education

This kit does not carry continuing-education credit. Contact hours can be awarded only by an accredited or state-approved provider, under its own review. Do not promise CE when you invite people.

Hospices must offer their staff in-service training, and hospice aides need at least 12 hours of in-service training every 12 months. Whether this session counts toward that is the hospice's decision, not the funeral home's.

Questions

Is the training kit free?

Yes. The page, the agenda and the module outlines are free to read. We ask for an email address once to send both PDFs, the facilitator guide and the participant handouts.

Who presents the session?

A funeral director or another staff member of your funeral home. The facilitator guide has talking points, discussion questions, a role-play and a knowledge check for each part.

How long is the session?

About 45 to 60 minutes. The agenda adds up to 56 minutes, with eight short modules.

Does the session carry continuing-education credit?

No. Contact hours can be awarded only by an accredited or state-approved provider. Whether the session counts toward a hospice's own in-service training is the hospice's decision.

Is it specific to my state?

No. Where rules differ by state, such as who may pronounce death, cremation waiting periods and who signs the death certificate, the guide has a "Check your state" box for you to fill in before the session.

Is offering an in-service to a hospice a referral arrangement?

It should not be. The session is education. Keep refreshments modest, give no gifts tied to referrals, and say that families always choose their own funeral home. Ask the hospice's compliance officer if in doubt.

Sources

General information, not legal or medical advice. Rules differ by state; check your state's laws and your hospice's policies. Facts were checked at the sources listed on the date shown.

  1. National Institute on Aging (NIH), What To Do After Someone Dies. Checked 2026-10-20.
  2. Texas Legislature, Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 671: Determination of Death. Checked 2026-10-20.
  3. eCFR, 42 CFR 418.106: Drugs and biologicals, medical supplies, and durable medical equipment. Checked 2026-10-20.
  4. Texas Legislature, Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 716: Crematories. Checked 2026-10-20.
  5. eCFR, 16 CFR 453.2: Price disclosures (FTC Funeral Rule). Checked 2026-10-20.
  6. eCFR, 16 CFR 453.3: Misrepresentations (FTC Funeral Rule). Checked 2026-10-20.
  7. eCFR, 16 CFR 453.4: Required purchase of funeral goods or services. Checked 2026-10-20.
  8. The Florida Senate, Florida Statutes 872.03: Cremating human bodies; limitation. Checked 2026-10-20.
  9. Washington State Legislature, RCW 68.04: Definitions (alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction). Checked 2026-10-20.
  10. Federal Trade Commission, The FTC Funeral Rule. Checked 2026-10-20.
  11. CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, Physician's Handbook on Medical Certification of Death, 2023 Revision. Checked 2026-10-20.
  12. The Florida Senate, Florida Statutes 382.008: Death, fetal death, and nonviable birth registration. Checked 2026-10-20.
  13. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery. Checked 2026-10-20.
  14. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, Burial and Memorial Benefits. Checked 2026-10-20.
  15. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Schedule a burial for a Veteran or family member. Checked 2026-10-20.
  16. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA cemetery. Checked 2026-10-20.
  17. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA burial allowance and transportation benefits. Checked 2026-10-20.
  18. Federal Trade Commission, Shopping for Funeral Services. Checked 2026-10-20.
  19. eCFR, 42 CFR 418.64: Condition of participation: Core services. Checked 2026-10-20.
  20. eCFR, 42 CFR 418.54: Condition of participation: Initial and comprehensive assessment of the patient. Checked 2026-10-20.
  21. U.S. Code (govinfo.gov, U.S. Government Publishing Office), 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b: Criminal penalties for acts involving Federal health care programs. Checked 2026-10-20.
  22. HHS Office of Inspector General, Fraud & Abuse Laws. Checked 2026-10-20.
  23. HHS Office of Inspector General, Compliance Program Guidance for Hospices. Checked 2026-10-20.
  24. eCFR, 42 CFR 418.100: Condition of participation: Organization and administration of services. Checked 2026-10-20.
  25. eCFR, 42 CFR 418.76: Condition of participation: Hospice aide and homemaker services. Checked 2026-10-20.