Texas · El Paso County
El Paso County is home to about 875,784 people. Everything below applies county-wide.
If you cannot afford burial or cremation in El Paso County, call the El Paso County Community Services, General Assistance division first, before signing anything with a funeral home. If the person was a veteran, free burial benefits may cover even more.
Indigent burial services (pauper burial program)
El Paso County Community Services, General Assistance division
When they answer, say: "I need to apply for burial assistance for a family member." It is okay if you do not have documents ready. They will tell you what to bring.
Step 1 of 5 · If money is tight
Do not sign anything with a funeral home before you call. In many counties, signing first disqualifies the family.
El Paso County program
El Paso County Community Services, General Assistance division
500 E San Antonio, El Paso, TX 79901 (opens in Google Maps)
Official program pageIndigent burial services run through the county's General Assistance program, which serves county residents and uses income guidelines by family size. Detailed burial-specific criteria are not published online, so call to ask about your situation.
| Income | The county applies income guidelines by family size (published as a PDF on the General Assistance page). Specific dollar thresholds are not listed on the page itself. |
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Call General Assistance at 915-273-3200 or use the online application form linked from the county's General Assistance page. The same office also handles emergency rent and utility help.
Step 2 of 5 · If they served
This can replace the county program
You may be able to skip the county program entirely. Veterans can receive a free gravesite, headstone, and perpetual care at a national or state veterans cemetery, plus a VA burial allowance of up to $2,000 for service-connected deaths.
Veteran burial help in El Paso CountyFrom our free tools
Housing costs weighing on the family too?
Check what housing assistance the household may qualify for, including Section 8 vouchers, in a few minutes. Free, no signup.
Check housing help at CheckMyVoucher.comStep 4 of 5 · The paperwork
Where copies come from
Certified copies come from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics Section (official site). Order online, by mail, or through the local county clerk where the death occurred. Most families need about 10 certified copies. Check the DSHS site for current fees.
Order about 10 certified copies. Banks, insurers, Social Security, vehicles, and property will each want one.
Know your rights
Federal law (the FTC Funeral Rule) protects you. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Full rules: the FTC Funeral Rule. If a funeral home breaks them, you can report it to the FTC.
Step 5 of 5 · If you need more
Where families find the rest
Right now
Nothing else on this page matters until these are done. Everything not on this list can wait, and most of it should.
Local sponsor
Own a funeral home or cremation service in El Paso County? This page has one exclusive sponsor spot, reserved at the founding rate of $349 per month.
Sponsor El Paso CountyQuestions families ask
El Paso County's assistance program (Indigent burial services (pauper burial program)) can cover a basic burial or cremation for families who qualify. Call 915-273-3200 before signing anything with a funeral home.
Yes. An eligible surviving spouse or child can claim a one-time $255 lump-sum death payment by calling 1-800-772-1213, and monthly survivor benefits are often available too.
Veterans may qualify for free burial in a national or state veterans cemetery plus a VA burial allowance, which can matter more than any county program. See our El Paso County veteran page for details.
Most families need about 10 certified copies for banks, insurance, and property. In Texas, order through the funeral home or the state vital records office.
A traditional funeral with burial commonly runs $7,000 to $12,000. Direct cremation is usually the lowest-cost professional option, often $700 to $2,000, and prices vary widely between providers in the same area, so it pays to call two or three. Every funeral home must give you prices over the phone under the FTC Funeral Rule.
No, and this surprises almost everyone: a power of attorney ends the moment the person dies. After death, authority passes to the executor named in the will, or to a court-appointed administrator when there is no will. Funeral decisions belong to the next of kin in the order set by state law, usually spouse first, then adult children, then parents, then siblings.
For after-death decisions, no. Power of attorney only matters while someone is alive. The next of kin can make funeral decisions right away, and the estate is handled through the will or, without one, through the state's simple next-of-kin rules. See our guide on what happens when there is no will.
Legal help sponsor
Estate or probate attorney serving El Paso County? Families here are one week from probate questions. One exclusive spot, founding rate $349 per month.
Sponsor legal help in El Paso CountyVerified against official sources
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Step 3 of 5 · Money owed to you
The Social Security $255 payment
Who can claim it
A surviving spouse who was living with the person who died, or a spouse or child eligible for benefits on the deceased person's record.
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office. You must apply within 2 years of the death. The funeral home often reports the death to SSA, but the survivor must apply for the payment.
Full guide: the $255 death payment, explained