FEMA’s Covid Funeral Assistance
By Albert B. Kelly
When the pandemic first arrived on our shores in early 2020 and for the remainder of the year, there were a fair number of people who insisted that Covid-19 was not all that serious. For some, this view may have been wishful thinking- a hope that it would be mild and would not cause too much sickness and death. For others, this insistence on underestimating of Covid-19 was perhaps part of some larger package of suspicions, fears, and resentments that became the filter through which everything was experienced.
If there was any lingering doubt in my mind about the seriousness and severity of this pandemic that wasn’t removed by a simple look at the stats which as of this writing, tell us that 81,828,144 people have been infected with the Covid-19 and 1,008,174 have died of the disease in the United States; then the fact that FEMA is now offering funeral assistance to help offset the costs of burying our Covid-19 dead erases all doubt.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but short of what you might expect to see in certain municipalities and counties blown apart by a tornado or a hurricane, you don’t expect to see “funeral assistance” for something that has unfolded over 2-plus years. And yet it make sense in light of a pandemic that has cost so many lives, turned the global supply chain upside down, and caused huge disruptions in the labor market leaving so many families in a fragile state.
In order to be eligible for Coronavirus Funeral Assistance, the following criteria are applicable; the death must have occurred after January 20, 2020 and the person applying must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen
National, or a qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses
due to Covid-19 after January 20, 2020. In addition, the death must have
occurred in the United States, though there is no requirement for the deceased
to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien.
As far as establishing cause of death, the deceased person’s death certificate must show that the death was attributable to or caused by COVID-19. In some instances, that may be straight-forward enough especially for those who passed later in the pandemic. For those who became ill and died early on in the pandemic, before testing was widely available, this might not have been noted at the time.
Accordingly, FEMA advises that if a death occurred between January 20, 2020 and May 16, 2020, and the death certificate doesn’t attribute the death to COVID-19, then the applicant must include a signed statement from the death certificate’s certifying official, local coroner, or medical examiner that links the cause of death to COVID-19.
Obviously this is a reimbursement program to help offset direct expenses related to the passing of a loved one due to Covid which specifically include a headstone, the use of funeral home, cremation or interment costs, costs of clergy, burial plot, the transfer of remains, or transportation costs to identify a decedent.
Those applying need to provide their name, social security number, date of birth, mailing address, and phone number as well as the name social security number, and date of birth for each deceased person and the specific location (address) where the deceased person passed away.
The applicant also needs to provide documentation and receipts for any assistance already received from other sources, including burial or funeral insurance, donations, or assistance from other government programs or non-profit organizations. Finally, the applicant needs to provide the name and information of any co-applicant(s) if anyone else incurred funeral expenses for the deceased person.
In order to apply as well as upload the specific documents required to get assistance, applicants can call (844) 684-6333 Monday thru Friday 9:00am to 9:00pm or go online at www.disasterassistance.gov. For more information, people can also visit www.FEMA.gov/funeral-assistance/faq . Documents can also be mailed to: COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, P.O. Box 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782
FEMA’s Region 2 office is performing targeted outreach for their Funeral Assistance Program and for New Jersey, this includes Cumberland County. My hope is that you do not need this type of assistance because if you do, it means that you’ve lost a loved one with all that such losses mean. It may also mean that your household has fallen on hard times financially. Yet, for all that you’ve been through, if you need help, it is important to know that it’s there and it is available.