It's certainly different.

It used to be that these booked in Q, and they were 25% of the Y fare, with the full set of taxes and surcharges. Often that meant that an S or a T was cheaper. However, the bereavement fare was changeable for a fairly low amount: I think it was $25 or $50.

So, as an example, suppose I had to go from ORD to ATL tomorrow, and return a week later. Cheapest fare is a U/V at $504. Full Y is $2056+22, so the "old" United would have charged $536 (and the non-bereavement fare would have been cheaper) and the "new" United $479.

My experience is that this is one of the best uses of miles there is.