Funerals today are very expensive and not everyone is able to afford them. Because of this some states offer burial or cremation assistance or benefits for indigent persons or families without a means to pay for funeral expenses for a loved one who received welfare of social service benefits.
Indigent persons are typically people with no family, no assets, and no money, that are left to the local government to administer the funeral arrangements (almost always direct cremation as it is the least costly). Depending on what state you are from you may receive cash benefits through welfare or social assistance to help with your funeral needs, often called Burial Assistance Programs.