FEMA Helps Pay Funeral Costs for COVID-19-Related Deaths
FEMA provides financial assistance for funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020 for deaths related to coronavirus (COVID-19) to help ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the pandemic.
As a reminder the traditional FEMA 800 number will not be utilized as the below number has been set up to handle influx of COVID-19 registrations.
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line Number
Applications are being taken now - no deadline for applications
844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance | FEMA.gov
To be eligible for COVID-19 funeral assistance,the policy (attached below) states:
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020 for a death attributed to COVID-19.
If multiple individuals contributed toward funeral expenses, they should apply under a single application as applicant and co-applicant.
FEMA will also consider documentation from other individuals not listed as the applicant and co-applicant who may have incurred funeral expenses as part of the registration for the deceased individual.
An applicant may apply for multiple deceased individuals.
The COVID-19-related death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
This assistance is limited to a maximum financial amount of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.
Funeral assistance is intended to assist with expenses for funeral services and interment or cremation.
When applying for the assistance, you should have on hand:
An official death certificate that attributes the death to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the U. S.
The death certificate must indicate the death “may have been caused by” or “was likely the result of” COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms. Similar phrases that indicate a high likelihood of COVID-19 are considered sufficient attribution.
Funeral expense documents(receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that include the applicant’s name, the deceased individual’s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses were incurred.
Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward funeral costs.
Funeral assistance may not duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, federal/state/local/tribal/territorial government programs or agencies, or other sources.
Helpful tips:
There is ccurrently no deadline to apply - so it's better to gather documentation before registering.
Call wait times are more reasonable in the afternoon, especially after 3:30-4:00 pm
To speed up the registration process, when you call, you should have on hand the death certificate and if electing direct deposit, your bank account info
To speed up reimbursement, FEMA encourages the use of disasterassistance.gov after your registration to upload the documentation
Once FEMA verifies a valid registration, a Request for Information (RFI) is sent for the needed documentation
Once you have applied and are given an application number, you may provide supporting documentation to FEMA a few ways:
- Upload to your DisasterAssistance.gov account
- Fax documents: 855-261-3452.
- Mail documents: P.O. BOX 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782
I’m getting a busy signal. What do I do?
- We are receiving high call volumes, which is causing some technical issues. Some applicants are reaching operators, while others are receiving a busy signal.
- If your call was not able to connect, please try calling again later. We are working to correct the technical issues. Keep in mind there is no deadline to apply.
VIDEO: Providing Financial Assistance for COVID-19 Related Funeral Expenses
Updated 04/22/2020
