(CNN)The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s funeral assistance program has paid out more than $2 billion to those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 since the application process began nearly a year ago, the agency said Tuesday.
The funds were distributed to more than 300,000 applicants, according to FEMA, with the average grant amounting to about $6,500.
“FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program has helped provide critical financial relief to over 300,000 people at a time of such unexpected, unimaginable and widespread losses,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement.
More than 960,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the United States since the pandemic began.
FEMA will also launch a targeted paid media campaign targeting areas with high Covid-19 death rates but low burial assistance program registrations, the agency said. The campaign will launch at locations in four states: California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
“Our new outreach campaign aims to reach families, particularly in underserved communities where the cost of a funeral can place a financial burden on a loved one. Our goal is to help families apply for support and submit any documents needed for existing applications,” Criswell said.
The agency also hosts media rounds with multiple local media in African American, Hispanic, and Asian American Pacific Islander communities.
FEMA’s reimbursement program includes, but is not limited to, the transfer of remains, burial sites, caskets, church services, cremation, and headstones for deaths that occurred in the United States. The maximum is $9,000 for each deceased loved one, with a cap of $35,500 per claimant who has incurred multiple victim expenses.
To qualify, death must have occurred in the United States or its territories and funeral expenses must have occurred after January 20, 2020. While the applicant must be a US citizen or legal resident, there is no requirement that the deceased meet the criteria.
Applicants begin the process by calling FEMA’s Funeral Assistance Hotline at 844-684-6333. You must then submit all required documentation to determine eligibility. Applications can only be processed once all documents have been received.
Applicants must provide a death certificate attributing the death directly or indirectly to Covid-19. If the death certificate was issued between January 20 and May 16, 2020, the applicant may instead submit a signed statement from the original certifier of the death certificate or the local coroner listing Covid-19 as the cause of death or contributory cause of death. This signed statement must include an additional statement linking the cause of death listed on the death certificate to Covid-19.
Congress established the program as part of its coronavirus relief packages in 2020 and 2021.
CNN’s Tami Luhby contributed to this report.
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