CMT Decedent Identification & Intake Procedures

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of an identification tag attached to a decedent upon arrival at the funeral home?

Accepted Answer

To maintain positive identification throughout all stages of preparation and final disposition

Answer

To record the cause of death for insurance purposes

Answer

To indicate which embalming chemicals should be used

Answer

To document the family's contact information for follow-up

Question 2

Which document typically authorizes a funeral home to remove a decedent from a hospital or care facility?

Accepted Answer

A removal authorization or body release form signed by authorized personnel

Answer

The death certificate

Answer

The burial permit

Answer

The embalming authorization signed by next of kin

Question 3

When a decedent arrives at the funeral home with personal effects such as jewelry, what is the standard intake procedure?

Accepted Answer

Inventory and document all personal effects in the presence of a witness and secure them separately

Answer

Store all items in a communal safe until the family requests them

Answer

Return all jewelry immediately to the hospital or care facility

Answer

Photograph items only if they appear to be of high monetary value

Question 4

What information is typically recorded on a first-call report when removing a decedent?

Accepted Answer

Time and place of removal, condition of the body, identification information, and personal effects inventory

Answer

Only the decedent's name and Social Security number

Answer

Only the attending physician's name and cause of death

Answer

The decedent's insurance policy numbers and beneficiary names

Question 5

What is the 'first call' in mortuary practice?

Accepted Answer

The initial response to retrieve the decedent from the place of death

Answer

The initial phone call made to the family to offer condolences

Answer

The first telephone call made to the state health department to report a death

Answer

The first meeting with the family to discuss funeral arrangements

Question 6

Which agency or entity in the United States is primarily responsible for issuing and maintaining the official death certificate form?

Accepted Answer

Individual state vital statistics offices, following NCHS model guidelines

Answer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Answer

The Social Security Administration

Answer

The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)

Question 7

When a decedent is brought to a funeral home and the identity is uncertain, what is the most reliable scientific method used for positive identification?

Accepted Answer

Comparison of dental records, fingerprints, or DNA against antemortem records

Answer

Visual identification by a family member alone

Answer

Reviewing the contents of the decedent's wallet or purse

Answer

Checking the physical description against a missing persons report