Damaged Cemetery Marker and Insurance Comments

According to most homeowners insurance, grave markers and gravestones are covered as personal property by the insurers.  For families that have this coverage, this would be primary mechanism for resetting, repairing or replacing damaged grave markers. 

There is no liability on the cemetery for these damages.  The Diocesan Self Insurance policy does cover vandalism damage to Diocesan property but not to the property of others such as gravestones and markers.  Those stones are the property of the easement owner of the cemetery lot and; therefore, it is to their personal property insurance coverage that those families should turn to for reimbursement of expenses associated with the resetting, repair or replacement of grave markers.

Should the families have passed away without survivors to turn to, the cemetery has the responsibility to reset or repair these stones.  This would be at the cemeteries expense and not subject to coverage under the Diocesan Self Insurance Program.  The cemetery is in no way responsible for returning the stone to original condition but only to ensure that people on the cemetery property are not put into an unsafe situation.