US Government Offers $9,000 in Cash for COVID-19 Funeral Costs

As a result of COVID, the federal government, through FEMA, will reimburse funeral expenses of up to $9,000. FEMA will cover COVID-related deaths that occurred after Jan. 20, 2020.

Wanda Olson’s son-in-law died in March after contracting COVID-19, and both she and her daughter were left struggling with more than just their sudden grief. Their son’s cremation required money.

Despite not having a funeral, the bill was nearly $2,000, a hefty sum that Olson initially paid. Following her daughter’s death, she learned that a federal program would reimburse families up to $9,000 for funeral costs.

In June, Olson’s daughter applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance. She eventually received a deposit and was able to reimburse her mother $1,974.

“If it hadn’t been for this program, we would have had to pay the money ourselves,” said Olson, 80, of Villa Rica, Georgia. It was easy. The process was simple and well handled.”

According to FEMA, nearly $1.5 billion has so far been spent on funeral costs following the date of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the country, Jan. 20, 2020. It’s clear that many families who are eligible for reimbursement have not yet taken advantage of the funeral benefit, considering the 800,000 deaths caused by Coronavirus.

7 Ways to Make Funeral Planning Easier

While working on air conditioning systems in theatres, restaurants, and businesses, her son-in-law began feeling ill, Olson said. A few days later, he was taken to the hospital and put on a ventilator. After several weeks, he died.

She said, “He couldn’t overcome it.”.

A death certificate must indicate that a person died after May 16, 2020, as a result of COVID-19 in order to qualify for reimbursement.

Death certificates for deaths occurring during the early months of the pandemic – from Jan. 20 to May 16, 2020 – must include a statement signed by a medical examiner, coroner or other certifying official indicating that COVID-19 was the cause or contributing cause of death.

FEMA’s state-by-state data shows that reimbursement rates vary widely between states – from nearly 40% in North Carolina and Maryland to fewer than 15% in Idaho and Oregon.

Some funeral directors are informing grieving families about the benefit, although reimbursement must go directly to individuals.

In Evansville, Indiana, Sunset Funeral Home, Cremation Center & Cemetery owner David Shipper advertised the benefit to let people know that financial assistance was available if they qualified.

FEMA deposit money into your account

Nine thousand dollars is a lot of money. “We wanted to find a way to spread the word,” he said. We stopped advertising a while ago, but we inform new families of the program when one of them has lost a loved one to COVID.”

He said workers will meet with families at the centre, gather the necessary paperwork, call FEMA on the phone, and walk them through the process if they ask.

Family members may simply not be aware of the benefit, while others might opt not to seek the cash for fear of revisiting the pain of loss, Shipper said. When planning a funeral, Shipper suggested that family members seek help right away.

When they have already spent the money and don’t want to open it up again, they are more likely to take advantage of it right then, Shipper said.

FEMA reimburses some of the most money to the largest states.

In California and Texas, where more than 74,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported, more than 21,000 reimbursements have been paid out. Applicants in both states requested $141 million in reimbursements.

One hundred and three people in Vermont have been reimbursed a total of $704,000.

COVID has broken many hearts

FEMA covers the costs of funeral services, cremation, and interment, as well as the costs of caskets or urns, burial plots or cremation niches, markers or headstones, transportation or transfer of remains, clergy or officiation services, and the use of funeral home equipment or staff.

Federal stimulus funds have funded the program, and there is still money available. Applications cannot be submitted online.

According to FEMA, determining an individual’s eligibility typically takes less than 30 days after all required documentation is received and verified. Following confirmation of eligibility, direct deposit applicants may receive the money within a few days. Those who request a check may have to wait longer.

According to Ellen Wynn McBrayer, president of Jones-Wynn Funeral Homes & Crematory in Villa Rica, Georgia, reimbursement is one way to ease the emotional and financial burden caused by the pandemic.

The woman recalled one woman who lost her mother, husband, and one of her children in the last six months as a result of the disease. A funeral home worker also died from the virus.

“To be able to assist a grieving family on a normal day is difficult, but to see so many deaths is even harder,” she said. COVID has broken many hearts and killed many people.”