FEMA begins accepting applications for COVID-19 funeral fund

/
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez championed a fund to reimburse Americans for funeral expenses after their loved ones died of COVID-19. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez championed a fund to reimburse Americans for funeral expenses after their loved ones died of COVID-19. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

By Rachel Vick

Americans who lost loved ones to COVID-19 can now seek support from the federal government to recoup up to $9,000 in funeral expenses.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration began accepting applications for funeral assistance following the allocation of $2 billion to a special relief fund in the latest stimulus package. The funeral fund was championed by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Too many families and friends across New York have paid the ultimate price with the tragic loss of their loved ones to the coronavirus,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer when the benefits were first announced in March.  “The economic upheaval and added financial strain of this pandemic makes the added cost of funerals and burials unbearable for so many who have already lost so much.” 

Ocasio-Cortez said the devastating impact of COVID-19 in her district — including South Bronx and Queens communities hardest-hit by the pandemic — drove her to advocate for the funeral reimbursements. 

“This effort began over a year ago when community leaders in NY-14 flagged the disparate impact of COVID-19 in working-class areas, compounded with the devastating economic impact of funeral expenses,” she said last month

In order to receive the reimbursement, applicants must provide a death certificate indicating a cause of death related to COVID-19, as well as  proof of funeral expenses dated after Jan. 20, 2020. 

Applicants do not have to submit the citizenship status of the deceased, but applicants must be U.S. citizens, legal residents, asylees, refugees or non-citizen nationals. If multiple people contributed to the funeral costs, they need to apply as co-applicants.

Eligible funeral expenses include but are not limited to:

  • Transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual 

  • Transfer of remains 

  • Casket or urn

  • Burial plot or cremation niche

  • Marker or headstone 

  • Clergy or officiant services 

  • Arrangement of the funeral ceremony

  • Use of funeral home equipment or staff

  • Cremation or interment costs

  • Costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates

  • Additional expenses mandated by any applicable local or state government laws or ordinances.

Applicants can call 844-684-6333 weekdays between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

More information on applying for funeral assistance is available online in 12 languages, including Spanish, Bengali and Tagalog.