West Virginia § 30-6-21 - 30-6-21. Requirements for cremating.

§ 30-6-21. 30-6-21. Requirements for cremating.

(a) A crematory shall obtain written permission prior to cremating a dead human body. The written permission shall be obtained from persons authorized by the board as specified in rules.

(b) The written permission shall be on a standard form, prescribed by the board, and shall contain the following information:

(1) The identity of the deceased;

(2) The name of the person authorizing the cremation and the relationship, if any, to the deceased;

(3) Permission for the crematory to perform the cremation;

(4) The name of the person who will claim the cremains from the crematory; and

(5) Any other information required by the board.

(c) A crematory shall obtain a permit or authorization for cremation from the county medical examiner, the assistant county medical examiner or the county coroner of the county wherein the death occurred and do such other acts as required by section nine, article twelve, chapter sixty-one of this code: Provided, That a crematory may obtain a permit or authorization for cremation from the chief medical examiner if:

(1) The crematory is unable to obtain a permit from the county medical examiner, the assistant county medical examiner or the county coroner of the county wherein the death occurred; or

(2) The crematory has concerns following authorization by county personnel regarding the identity or cause of death of the deceased.

(d) The permit or authorization for cremation shall be on forms prescribed by the chief medical examiner. A permit or authorization for cremation may be done by facsimile.

(e) All crematories shall implement a cremation procedure. The board, by rules, shall establish the cremation procedure which shall include:

(1) An identification process for bodies;

(2) A tracking process for bodies from the time a body is delivered to a crematory through the time the cremains are claimed by the authorized person;

(3) Obtaining all the required signatures, as specified by the board, on the written permission for cremation;

(4) Only cremating one human body at a time and prohibiting comingling of cremains;

(5) The specified time period a crematory is required to keep unclaimed cremains;

(6) How to dispose of unclaimed cremains;

(7) A record-keeping process for cremations; and

(8) Any other requirements necessary to effectuate the provisions of this article.

(f) The board shall establish requirements for:

(1) The equipment needed to complete the cremation process; and

(2) The containers needed to store the cremains.