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-2026 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0032
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- 1 SF0011
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-SENATE FILE NO. SF0011
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-Burials of indigent veterans-amendments.
-
-Sponsored by: Joint Transportation, Highways & Military
-Affairs Interim Committee
-
-A BILL
-
-for
-
-1 AN ACT relating to defense forces and affairs; amending
-2 eligibility requirements for indigent veterans in order for
-3 counties to request reimbursement for preparing and
-4 transporting indigent veterans for burial; specifying
-5 indigent veterans who qualify for burial expenses paid by
-6 the department of family services also qualify for payment
-7 of burial expenses by counties; increasing the amount paid
-8 for burial expenses by the department of family services;
-9 clarifying priority of payment for burial expenses of
-10 indigent veterans; making a conforming amendment; and
-11 providing for an effective date.
-12
-13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
-14
-2026 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0032
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- 2 SF0011
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-1 Section 1.  W.S. 19-14-101(a), (b) and by creating a
-2 new subsection (d) and 42-2-103(c) are amended to read:
-3
-4 19-14-101.  Burial of indigents.
-5
-6 (a)  The board of county commissioners of each county
-7 shall provide for the preparation of the body and
-8 transmittal to and burial in the veteran's cemetery of any
-9 veteran other than a dishonorably discharged veteran of the
-10 armed forces of the United States who served on behalf of
-11 the United States in any war or conflict as defined in
-12 section 101, title 38, United States Code and who dies
-13 leaving insufficient funds to defray the necessary funeral
-14 expenses. Any veteran that qualifies under W.S. 42-2-103(c)
-15 shall also qualify under this section. The amount expended
-16 for transporting the body shall not exceed five hundred
-17 dollars ($500.00). The amount paid under this section for
-18 burial shall not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars
-19 ($1,500.00). Each board shall account for the county
-20 expenses incurred under this subsection during a fiscal
-21 year. By August 1 of each year, a county may request
-22 reimbursement by the department of family services for the
-23 expenses incurred under this subsection for the preceding
-2026 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0032
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- 3 SF0011
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-1 fiscal year. The department of family services shall
-2 reimburse the expenses in accordance with W.S. 35-1-428(c).
-3
-4 (b)  Before assuming charge and expense for
-5 preparation and transmittal of the body and burial, each
-6 board of county commissioners shall first determine
-7 according to procedures they establish that the deceased
-8 veteran of the armed forces of the United States whose body
-9 they are called upon to bury served in the armed forces of
-10 the United States, during World War II or any preceding war
-11 in which the United States was a party or during the Korean
-12 or Vietnam conflicts, was other than dishonorably
-13 discharged and died in the county leaving insufficient
-14 means to defray the necessary funeral expenses.
-15
-16 (d)  Payment made for burial expenses by the board of
-17 county commissioners in accordance with this section shall
-18 be considered payment of last resort that follows all other
-19 sources and is provided subsequent to all other benefits.
-20
-21 42-2-103.  Provision of assistance and services;
-22 duties of department; burial assistance; department of
-23 health state supplemental security income program.
-2026 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0032
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- 4 SF0011
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-1
-2 (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this
-3 article and subject to the availability of funds, the
-4 department shall pay the burial or cremation expenses of
-5 any recipient of aid under the personal opportunities with
-6 employment responsibilities (POWER) program, supplemental
-7 security income or Medicaid at the time of his death and
-8 without sufficient means in his own estate or other
-9 resources to provide burial or cremation. The amount paid
-10 under this subsection shall not exceed one thousand dollars
-11 ($1,000.00) one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00)
-12 after consideration of funds available to the recipient
-13 from all other sources. In determining eligibility under
-14 this subsection, the department shall not consider as
-15 available funds, an amount up to or equal to one thousand
-16 five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) of the corpus of a
-17 Medicaid qualifying trust meeting the requirements of W.S.
-18 42-4-113. No board of county commissioners shall be
-19 responsible for any burial or cremation expenses in excess
-20 of the amount paid under this subsection. Burial or
-21 cremation expenses under this subsection shall not include
-22 those expenses relating to cemetery costs.
-23
-2026 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0032
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- 5 SF0011
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-1 Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2026.
-2
-3
-4 (END)
+Burials of indigent veterans-amendments. 26LSO-0032, 1.0
+SF0011
+FISCAL NOTE
+FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029
+NON-ADMINISTRATIVE IMPACT
+Anticipated Expenditure increase
+AGENCY FUND $58,700 $58,700 $58,700
+Source of expenditure increase:
+This bill increases the maximum payment per indigent veteran burial or cremation
+from $1,000 to $1,500. Increasing the payment by $500 to $1,500 is estimated to
+increase the annual expenditure to $176,000, which can be absorbed by the
+Department’s annual budget for burial or cremation services.
+Assumptions:
+The Department of Family Services estimates expenditures based on a five-year
+average of 117.4 recipients between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. Assumes biennial
+revenue of $450,000 based on estimated revenue generated from death certificates.
+Prepared by:   Jessie Schaeffer, LSO Phone: 777-7881
+(Information provided by Corrine Livers, Department of Family Services, 777-6068)