Code of Massachusetts Regulations
505 CMR - OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER
Title 505 CMR 2.00 - Release Of Unclaimed Or Unidentified Bodies
Section 2.03 - Definitions
Chief: Chief medical examiner or his designee.
Claimant: The surviving spouse, next of kin, or friend legally entitled to receive the body of the deceased under M.G.L. c. 38, § 13.
Designated Institution: an institution the Chief has determined meets the following qualifications:
(a) An educational institution offering an associate or bachelor degree related to funeral or mortuary services;
(b) Accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education;
(c) Provides supervision of at least one instructor licensed by the Board of Registration of Funeral Directors and Embalmers in Massachusetts; and
(d) Demonstrates a commitment to provide competent and dignified services to the deceased.
Disposition: burial or cremation of a body.
Office: the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Unclaimed Body: An identified body that has not been claimed by a claimant.
Unidentified Body: A body that cannot be positively identified as being a particular person.