What you can expect greatly depends on how sudden a death is, and how much planning ahead has happened.

In Washington state, if a Death occurs in a hospital, the body my be refrigerated in the hospital morgue for up to 48 hours before needing to be relocated to a funeral home or directly to a cemetery. This provides some 

In a nursing homes or hospice care facility, the body usually needs to be transported shortly after death. If you are the primary point of contact for someone in a nursing home or hospice it is best to talk with the staff about what their policy is, and plan accordingly.

If death occurs in the home home, their are several option. A medical examiner or licensed physician must come to the home to verify the death and complete a death certificate. If the deceased has been in an in-home hospice program, the hospice nurse will call the doctor in charge of the hospice program, who will sign death certificate rather than requiring the family to bring in the doctor or examiner.

In Washington state, the medical death certificate should already be filled out by the a medical doctor or medical examiner prior to being taken to the funeral directors.

The funeral director meets with the family to gather biographical information: birth date, place of residence, occupation, veteran status, etc. This will be included in the death certificate and will be reviewed for the disposition of the body: burial, cremation, out-of-state, or medical school donation.

Funeral directors have 72 hours to file the death certificate with the county health department which then issues a burial transit permit and provides it to the funeral director. This permit and full payment are required for burial. 

Once the burial is scheduled, the funeral director transports the body to the cemetery and provides the burial transit permit to the cemetery or crematory staff.

All funeral homes are required to post a general price list that includes:

• One-time package for direct cremation

• Direct transportation from place of death to cemetery: no embalming, no obituary, no service, and must include the price of the “minimum receptacle” though you may buy a casket from anyone, or make your own

Once the burial or cremation is complete, a cemetery or crematory staff person mails a copy of the burial transit permit to the health department.