Question 1

How long until we can get the ashes back?

Jeff Jorgenson · Accepted Answer

The timeframe– from the moment you notify us the death has occurred until the remains are returned to you– can range from a few days to just over a week. Here are several factors that can impact the time the cremation takes to complete.

The Day of Death- Clarity aims to shield you from most of the bureaucracy involved in Southern California death, but despite our best efforts it can effect how quickly we are able to file the needed paperwork. If your loved one dies at the end of the week, chances are that the agencies we rely on (the county, state, hospitals, doctors, etc) will be out of office until the following week. Unfortunately, doctors and bureaucrats are just as eager to get out of the office Friday afternoon as the rest of society.
The Doctor’s Signature- Before we are able to file the death certificate (allowing the cremation or burial to take place) a doctor must sign the death certificate. Doctors have 48 hours from when it lands on their desk to get it done. There are times where a signature takes even longer. The sad truth is, if a doctor doesn’t sign, nothing proceeds.
Your Paperwork- With all the best intentions, some families get overwhelmed with the number of balls they are juggling after a death. It can take days (even weeks) for some families to get their part of the paperwork back to us. Without that important information and signature authorizations, we can’t do anything but wait.
Busy Cremation Schedule- Under most circumstances, once we have all the permits, authorizations, and payment in order, it is only a couple of days before we have the remains back to you. There are times however (cold and flu seasons, the holiday season) when cremation waits are a little bit longer.

A note on Rush Cremations: It is possible for us to perform rush cremations (under 72 hours), but an additional fee is involved. These situations take all hands-on-deck to get these permits and paperwork in place. Moving to the top of the list can require herculean efforts when it comes to doctors, permits, and crematory schedules, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Check with us to see if rushing the cremation is something that can be done in your case.

Question 2

How long until we can get the ashes back?

Jeff Jorgenson · Accepted Answer

The timeframe– from the moment you notify us the death has occurred until the remains are returned to you– can range from a few days to just over a week. Here are several factors that can impact the time the cremation takes to complete.

The Day of Death- Clarity aims to shield you from most of the bureaucracy involved in Southern California death, but despite our best efforts it can effect how quickly we are able to file the needed paperwork. If your loved one dies at the end of the week, chances are that the agencies we rely on (the county, state, hospitals, doctors, etc) will be out of office until the following week. Unfortunately, doctors and bureaucrats are just as eager to get out of the office Friday afternoon as the rest of society.
The Doctor’s Signature- Before we are able to file the death certificate (allowing the cremation or burial to take place) a doctor must sign the death certificate. Doctors have 48 hours from when it lands on their desk to get it done. There are times where a signature takes even longer. The sad truth is, if a doctor doesn’t sign, nothing proceeds.
Your Paperwork- With all the best intentions, some families get overwhelmed with the number of balls they are juggling after a death. It can take days (even weeks) for some families to get their part of the paperwork back to us. Without that important information and signature authorizations, we can’t do anything but wait.
Busy Cremation Schedule- Under most circumstances, once we have all the permits, authorizations, and payment in order, it is only a couple of days before we have the remains back to you. There are times however (cold and flu seasons, the holiday season) when cremation waits are a little bit longer.

A note on Rush Cremations: It is possible for us to perform rush cremations (under 72 hours), but an additional fee is involved. These situations take all hands-on-deck to get these permits and paperwork in place. Moving to the top of the list can require herculean efforts when it comes to doctors, permits, and crematory schedules, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Check with us to see if rushing the cremation is something that can be done in your case.