State Inspectors Fan Out to Ensure Compliance at Funeral Homes across the Commonwealth

Transcription

1 DEVAL L. PATRICK GOVERNOR TIMOTHY P. MURRAY LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR GREGORY BIALECKI SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure 239 Causeway Street Boston Massachusetts BARBARA ANTHONY UNDERSECRETARY OF OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS GEORGE K. WEBER DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2009 CONTACT: Jason Lefferts (617) (617) State Inspectors Fan Out to Ensure Compliance at Funeral Homes across the Commonwealth 49 Legal actions filed. BOSTON November 19, 2009 Inspectors with the Division of Professional Licensure, posing as consumers, visited 175 funeral homes in all parts of Massachusetts recently to verify license status and to ensure compliance with regulations of the Board of Registration of Embalmers and Funeral Directors and the Federal Trade Commission s Funeral Rule. Forty-nine legal actions have been filed alleging violations of law at 46 funeral homes. Of the 46 funeral homes implicated in the legal actions, 28 allegedly failed to provide prospective clients with a written price list for services. Three of the 46 funeral homes allegedly employed unlicensed personnel and not a licensed funeral director to handle discussions with the undercover inspectors and 15 funeral homes are alleged to have committed both violations. The Board of Registration of Embalmers and Funeral Directors has started disciplinary procedures against those alleged to be found in violation. A full list of the businesses cited, and those found in compliance, is below. When a family comes to a funeral home to discuss arrangements, the funeral home must provide a written list of options and costs as families handle, at a trying time, a situation they may not know much about. Consumers are extremely vulnerable at the time of the death of a loved one. This sweep was designed to ensure that funeral homes treat consumers in a manner that fully complies with federal and state law. We intend to work with the industry to achieve full compliance, said George K. Weber, Director of the Division of Professional Licensure. DPL and the Board inspect funeral homes throughout the year, checking to ensure they are properly licensed, have written price lists available, and follow other state and federal laws. The inspectors participated in community-wide sweeps in the following cities and towns:, Falls, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brighton, Canton, Chelsea, Dedham, Dorchester, East Boston, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin,, Hanover, Hingham, Jamaica Plain,, Mansfield, Mattapan,,, Millbury, Milton, Natick, Newton, North, Northampton, Norton, Norwell, Quincy, Randolph, Rockland, Roxbury, Scituate, Shrewsbury, South Boston,,, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Webster, Wellesley, Weymouth,, Wrentham. TELEPHONE: (617) FAX: (617) TTY/TDD:

2 Consumers are urged to visit the Division of Professional Licensure s website at and select the check a license option to determine whether a professional they are considering doing business with is licensed and in good standing. The Division of Professional Licensure is a regulatory agency within the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The agency is responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance and the integrity of the licensing process for approximately 330,000 licensees across 43 trades and professions under the jurisdiction of 31 Boards of Registration. FUNERAL HOMES ALLEGED TO BE IN VIOLATION HOMES DeVito FH Langone Waterman Peck FH Rogers FH Schlossberg Solomon Dockray Thomas FH Boule FH Bosk FH Isabelle FH Ginley FH Charles Oteri FH Sullivan FH Downing & Son Mann & Rogers FH John Breen FH Fay McCabe Goodrich FH St. Laurent FH John FH Roger Shields FH Cincotti FH Gaffey FH Dello Russo FH Consigli Ruggerio Buma FH Cabral & Baylies Drozdal FH Czelusniak FH Flynn Dagnoli Devanny Condron Dwyer FH Dennis Sweeney FH Sweeney Bros. FH Davis FH Richardson Gaffey City/Town Arlington Boston Braintree Cambridge Canton Canton Fitchburg Fitchburg Franklin Franklin Hanover Hingham Jamaica Plain Marston Mills Mattapan Quincy Quincy Roxbury Scituate

3 Cassidy Keaney Nowak F S Tazzini FH FH O'Keefe Wade FH Riendeau Mulvey FH Giragosian FH Clancy Lucid Brandon FH Caswell King FH Alfred Thomas South Boston Watertown Weymouth Fitchburg Milton FUNERAL HOMES IN COMPLIANCE Stanton FH Arlington Keefe FH Arlington Duffy Poule FH Cook FH Dyer Lake Foley Hathaway Short,Williamson Belmont Bown & Son FH Belmont Cafasso FH Belmont Mitchell Tobin FH Boston Nickerson & Bourne Bourne Lehman Reen Brighton Sullivan FH Brighton McNamara FH Brighton Waitt FH Russell & Rica FH Multiculturale Funeraris J. Frank Conley Hickey Grenier etc. Dahlborg MacNevin Cherry Place FH John C., Burns FH Cambridge Donovan Aufiero Cambridge Stanetsky Memorila Canton Smith FH Chelsea Folsom FH Dedham John J O'Connor Dorchester James Murphy FH Dorchester Ruggiero Mazzarella FH East Boston Kirby Rapino FH East Boston Auclair F H

4 South Coast F H Manuel Rogers FH F. Almeida FH Chapman, Cole Falmouth Norton FH Framingham Smith Kelleher Walker FH Kostanski FH McCarthy FH Berube Comeau FH Haverill Dole,Childs,Shaw Haverill Doane, Beals, Ames Hyannis Farrah FH Diaz Healy FH Dewhirst Scott FH Racicot FH Boles Jozak Archambault FH McKenna Ouellette McDonough FH Martin FH Morse Bayliss John O'Donnell Mahoney MR Laurin Cuffe McGinn FH Nadworney FH Parker FH Solmine FH Sherman Jackson FH Mansfield Amici FH Mansfield Beals,G. & Magliozzi Pollard FH Methuen Cataudella FH Methuen Charles Dewhirst FH Methuen James Kellett FH Edwards Memorial Watson Colonial FH Mulhane FH Millbury Chapan,Cole&Gleason " Milton Dolan FH Milton John Everett FH Natick Aubterine & Lopes Saunders Dwyer Schick FH Donaghy Hathaway

5 Perry F H Boulevard F H Kirby F H Silva Mortuaries Brezniak Rodman Sperry McHoul FH Pease Gay FH Ahearn FH Wellington FS Dery FH Cartwright FH Britton FH Casper FH Morris & O'Connor Hallet FH Sampson Chapels Ratelle FH Ascher Zimmerman Forastiere FH Dickinson Streeter Byron Hafey FH Byron Keenan North End FH St.Pierre Phaneuf N.E. Funeral Sowiecki FH Marshall FH Silva FH Crapo Hathaway FH Joyce FH Faggas FH Bedrosian FH John Bryant FH Shaw Majercik Scanlon FH JS Waterman & Sons George Doherty CC Shepherd Athy FH Nordgren Memorial Perlman FH Dirsa Morin FH Mercadante FH Athy FH Callahan Fay Kelly FH Newton North Randolph Shrewsbury South Boston South Yarmouth South Yarmouth Waltham Watertown Watertown Wayland Webster Webster Wellesley Wellesley Weymouth

6 Rice FH Floyd Williams FH Richard Ross FH Roxbury Wrentham