SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois state comptroller has denounced a county coroner's practice of holding remains and death certificates of the indigent until families can pay $1,000.
Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza reacted Tuesday to an Associated Press report about Adams County Coroner James Keller's practice that started during a two-year budget crisis when Illinois officials stopped paying $1,655 for each indigent person's funeral and burial.
Mendoza urged Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to do more to notify local officials and funeral homes about restored state funding. She will notify cemeteries and funeral directors her office regulates.
There was no money available in the 2016 budget year for indigent burials. A Department of Human Services' letter in September 2017 extended claim filing time because the number of claims fell dramatically that year despite the restoration of funding.