Funeral Assistance during COVID-19

FEMA’s Funeral Assistance Program Provides Help to Thousands of American Families 

By Christina Clift

Since January 2020 more than 570,000 Americans have died due to the COVID-19 virus.  These individuals were someone’s grandparent, spouse, parent, sibling, or child.  Some families lost nobody, but others experienced the loss of one or more members.  With the average cost of funeral expenses in the United States ranging between $7,500-10,000 an unexpected death can be a financial hardship, especially if the individual did not have a pre-planned or pre-paid burial policy.

The passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 makes it possible for families and individuals to apply for Funeral Assistance for expenses due to COVID-19. Since there is no way to predict how many COVID-related deaths may occur between now and 2025, an exact funding cap has not been established.  More than 140,000 applications have been received since The American Rescue Plan was launched on April 12, 2021. 

Who can apply? You may qualify if you are a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who paid for funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020, and the funeral expenses were for an individual whose death in the United States, territories, or the District of Columbia, may have been caused by or was likely the result of COVID-19.  Unfortunately, a minor child cannot apply on behalf of an adult who is not a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.

There are also several categories of aliens lawfully present in the U.S. who are not eligible for FEMA’s Individual and Households Program assistance, including funeral assistance.  These include but are not limited to temporary tourist visa holders, foreign students, temporary work visa holders, habitual residents such as citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

One of the first steps you should take before calling is to gather the documentation you will need.  This includes a copy of the death certificate, proof of funeral expenses, and proof of covered and noncovered costs.  It is important to remember that FEMA’s Funeral Assistance Program will not duplicate services that were paid for by other sources such as a pre-paid burial policy, grants, or being buried for free by a governmental entity. 

The COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program will assist with expenses for funeral services and interment or cremation. Any receipts received for expenses that are not related to funeral services will not be determined eligible.  Expenses for funeral services and interment or cremation typically include, but are not limited to: Transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual, transfer of remains, casket or urn, burial plot or cremation niche, marker or headstone, clergy or officiant services, arrangement of the funeral ceremony, use of funeral home equipment or staff, cremation or interment costs, costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates, obituary, flowers, or additional expenses mandated by any applicable local or state government laws or ordinances. 

The program will not cover the cost related to attending a funeral.

Next, the family must decide who will be responsible for completing the application, since only one person can apply to be reimbursed per deceased individual.  If more than one person in the family assisted in paying for funeral costs, they should give their receipts or proof of payment to the individual completing the application.  Once they have been approved and reimbursed it will be up to the applicant to distribute the money to the individuals who helped pay for the funeral.  So, it is important to pick someone who you trust that is reliable, organized, and honest. 

The program will only award up to $9,000.00 per person and only $35,500.00 can be awarded in one state if there were multiple family members lost.  Applications are based on the place where the person died and not where the applicant lives.  So, if you had two families in Tennessee and two family members in Georgia pass away due to the COVID-19 virus, you would be eligible to be reimbursed $18,000 from Tennessee and $18,000.00 from Georgia.  But if all four passed away in the same state the maximum amount you could be awarded is $35,500.00. 

 

To apply for the FEMA Funeral Assistance Program, call 844-684-6333 or TTY: 800-462-7585

Between the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST Monday-Friday. 

Multilingual services will be available.  If you use a relay service, such as your videophone, Innocaption or CapTel, please provide your specific number assigned to that service.  It is important that FEMA is able to contact you, and you should be aware phone calls from FEMA may come from an unidentified number. 

No online applications will be accepted.  It should take about 20 minutes to apply, however representatives will take as much time as you need to answer questions to ensure that you receive the help you need to apply.  Having the necessary information and documentation ahead of time will enable your application to be completed and processed in a timely manner.

Once you have applied and are given an application number, you may provide supporting documentation to FEMA a few ways:

§ Upload to your DisasterAssistance.gov account

§ Fax documents: 855-261-3452.

§ Mail documents: P.O. BOX 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that there is not a deadline to apply for this assistance.  So, whether your family member passed away last year, this year, or next year you can apply at any time. 

Also, remember that there are lots of scammers out their trying to take advantage of you.  Common fraud schemes include: individuals or groups asking to assist with filling out applications for a fee, unverified websites mimicking FEMA’s Funeral Assistance Program, unsolicited telephone calls asking for your social security number, fake social media accounts, and requiring pre-paid debit cards to be mailed in order to receive your payment. 

To report any fraud you see or suspect send an email to stopfemafraud@fema.dhs.gov.  Also, the program’s website can be found by visiting http://www.fema.gov and clicking on the link for COVID-19 funeral assistance program.

• FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance FAQ (updated 4/28)