Families who lost loved ones as a result of COVID-19 may now qualify for federal aid.

Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.

Applications are accepted beginning April 12 by calling the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line at 844-684-6333, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday. The TTY umber is 800-462-7585.

People who have had COVID-19 funeral expenses are encouraged to keep and gather documentation.

To be eligible for funeral assistance, these conditions must be met:

• The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
• The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020.
• There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien.

If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, we encourage you to keep and gather documentation. Types of information should include:

• An official death certificate that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
• Funeral expenses documents(receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that include the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of funeral expenses and the dates the funeral expenses happened.
• Proof of funds received from other sourcesspecifically for use toward funeral costs. FEMA is not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies or other sources.

Those eligible for funeral assistance will receive a check by mail or funds by direct deposit, depending on which option is chosen when the application for assistance is made.

FEMA cautions people not to accept offers of registration help from

 

Fraud Alert: FEMA has received reports of scammers reaching out to people offering to register them for funeral assistance. FEMA has not sent any such notifications and we do not contact people before they register for assistance.