The Federal Emergency Management Agency has federal funding available to help families who have had loved ones lost to COVID-19. For those who passed after May 16, 2020, you may be eligible for up to $9,000 in reimbursement for funeral costs. The program has been in the news recently because of the lack of applications that are being received. These monies have been set aside to help relieve families of the burdens that have come with the pandemic.
NPR reported that as of December 6, about 226,000 people had shared in the nearly $1.5 billion that FEMA has spent on funeral costs. This past week alone it was announced that the nation has surpassed one million deaths. The program uses funding that comes from federal stimulus funds. Money remains available. There are no online applications taken.
If your loved one passed in the early stages of the pandemic, between January to May 16 2022, you may still be eligible for funding. Death certificates that are accompanied with a signed statement from a medical examiner, coroner, or the certifying official listed on the certificate, indicating that COVID-19 was the cause or a contributing cause of death.
The following funeral services are eligible for reimbursement: services, cremation and interment, as well as the costs for caskets or urns, burial plots or cremation niches, markers or headstones, transportation or transfer of remains, clergy or officiant services, and the use of funeral home equipment or staff. Once all the required documents are received, it takes fewer than 30 days to determine eligibility. Once confirmed, applicants who choose direct deposit may have it in a matter of days, while those opting for a check may be a longer wait.
For further information and application, please see the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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