FEMA will pay families up to $9,000 to help with COVID-19-related funeral cost

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

I've paid 13,000  each for Dad, brother and husbands funeral  (all end stage illness) over the past 3 years, so FEMA helping with 9,000 cost for a COVID related funeral big help to many families.

Philadelphia Inquirer 4/02/21

FEMA will pay families up to $9,000 to help with COVID-19-related funeral costs. Here’s how to apply and who’s eligible.

Funeral costs must be dated after January 20, 2020  AND COVID-19 related in order to get reimbursed. Additionally,  FEMA will pay up to $35,000 if you’ve paid for funerals of multiple individuals.

[toomuchbaloney]

This will be very helpful to many low income families. 

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

On 4/2/2021 at 4:04 PM, toomuchbaloney said:

This will be very helpful to many low income families. 

It will, if they are given education, access and support through the process of applying for it. 

[toomuchbaloney]

14 minutes ago, lifelearningrn said:

It will, if they are given education, access and support through the process of applying for it. 

What are you saying...that poor people are more reckless with money than people who aren't poor? You should clarify because I don't understand your point. Are you saying that it won't be helpful for them to use the money in ways that a banker might not approve? 

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Think they mean if  funeral home or family don't know about the reimbursement -- (TV/Radio/print ads needed), need  for computer access to apply for benefit and any assistance for followup getting monies into an account.

Just looked at website:

Quote

 

How to apply, need to call :

COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line Number

Applications begin on April 12, 2021
844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time

Call this dedicated toll-free phone number to get a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance application completed with help from FEMA's representatives. Multilingual services will be available.

https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance

When you call, you’ll be asked for the following information:

• Social Security number (yours and that of the deceased person).
• Date of birth (yours and that of the deceased person).
• Current mailing address.
• Current telephone number.
• Location or address where the deceased person died.
• Information about burial or funeral insurance policies.
• Information about any other funeral assistance you received, such as donations, CARES Act grants, or help from voluntary organizations, if applicable.
• Routing and account number of your checking or savings account, if you want a direct deposit.

You’ll also need the following:

• A copy of the death certificate, showing that the cause of death was — or was likely — COVID-19. That means that COVID-19 is listed as the cause of death, says that the death “may have been caused by” or “was likely a result of” COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms, or similar wording.
• Proof of the funeral expenses (receipts, funeral home contract, etc.). This needs to show your name as the person responsible for the costs. It also needs to have the name of the person who died and the date the costs were acquired.
• Proof of funds received from any other source used for funeral costs. FEMA won’t pay for costs if they have already been paid by another source, including insurance, donations, volunteer groups, etc. (Life insurance proceeds are OK.) If you had additional costs that weren’t covered by these, you can apply for those costs to be reimbursed.

Once you’ve applied by phone, you’ll be given an application number, and you can send all necessary documentation to FEMA by fax, mail, or online through your DisasterAssistance.gov account.

 

[toomuchbaloney]

56 minutes ago, NRSKarenRN said:

Think they mean if  funeral home or family don't know about the reimbursement -- (TV/Radio/print ads needed), need  for computer access to apply for benefit and any assistance for followup getting monies into an account.

Just looked at website:

 

Thank you for clarifying. That makes sense. 

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

On 4/24/2021 at 9:41 PM, NRSKarenRN said:

Think they mean if  funeral home or family don't know about the reimbursement -- (TV/Radio/print ads needed), need  for computer access to apply for benefit and any assistance for followup getting monies into an account.

Just looked at website:

 

Thank you. That is exactly what I meant. There needs to be outreach within poorer communities to let them know this benefit is available.