For families who have buried someone lost to COVID-19, a long-deferred acknowledgment of grief has arrived in the form of money: the Federal Emergency Management Agency is now taking applications for up to $9,000 toward funeral costs. The relief comes from the December 2020 pandemic law, which set aside funds for people whose losses left them carrying debts they never expected to bear. It asks little of the bereaved beyond a phone call and a stack of paperwork, though the questions it leaves open, about income and timing, remind us that help in a crisis is always shaped by the limits of the in
FEMA COVID Funeral Reimbursement Rises to $9,000: How Families Can Apply
Families of people who died from COVID-19 may have gone into debt to pay for funerals and burials, which this program is meant to offset.
Starting this week, families can call a federal line and ask to be paid back.
Mark
Why does the jump from $7,000 to $9,000 matter?
Mimi
Because funerals often cost about that much. The funeral directors' association put the 2019 median at $7,640, and $9,135 with a vault or casket.
Luke
And that median leaves out headstones, cemetery costs and flowers. So $9,000 may not cover everything.
Mark
Who qualifies?
Mimi
The death has to be in the US or its territories, costs incurred after Jan. 20, 2020, and a death certificate that attributes the death to COVID-19.
Luke
Income is the open question. FEMA's site doesn't say whether there's a limit, and the reporter was still waiting on an answer.
Mark
What about families who lost more than one person?
Mimi
They can apply for each, up to $9,000 per funeral and $35,500 per application per state or territory.
Luke
We also don't know how full versus partial amounts get decided, or how long payment takes. FEMA hasn't said.
Mark
Why the scam warning?
Mimi
The FTC says scammers are posing as FEMA to reach grieving families. FEMA only contacts people who've already applied.
Der Puls
- Families who buried loved ones lost to COVID-19 can now call FEMA and ask to be repaid, with a ceiling raised from $7,000 to $9,000 per funeral.
- Heavy call volume and technical trouble at the federal phone line mean many applicants will hit busy signals and need to try again.
- Applicants must scramble to gather Social Security numbers, death certificates, receipts and bank details before they can even begin the claim.
- Fraudsters posing as FEMA are already circulating, so the path to relief runs past warnings to hang up on unsolicited callers.
- With no application deadline and no payment timeline, the program is opening its doors while its final shape and speed remain unsettled.
For families who have buried someone lost to COVID-19, a long-deferred acknowledgment of grief has arrived in the form of money: the Federal Emergency Management Agency is now taking applications for up to $9,000 toward funeral costs. The relief comes from the December 2020 pandemic law, which set aside funds for people whose losses left them carrying debts they never expected to bear. It asks little of the bereaved beyond a phone call and a stack of paperwork, though the questions it leaves open, about income and timing, remind us that help in a crisis is always shaped by the limits of the institutions offering it.
This week, families who buried someone lost to COVID-19 were invited to call a federal phone line and ask to be paid back. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened applications for funeral reimbursement, raising the ceiling to $9,000 per person from the $7,000 announced in February. The money flows from the December relief law that also delivered second stimulus checks, which set aside $2 billion for people harmed by the pandemic, including those who went into debt burying a loved one.
Eligibility rests on a few conditions. The death must have occurred in the United States or its territories, the funeral costs must date from after January 20, 2020, and the death certificate must attribute it to COVID-19, directly or indirectly. The applicant must be a citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien, though the deceased need not have held such status. FEMA has not said whether income matters, and that question remains unanswered.
The cap reflects real expenses, though not all of them. The national median for a funeral with viewing and burial was $7,640 in 2019, rising to $9,135 with a vault or casket, and cemetery costs fall outside that figure. Covered items include transportation, the casket or urn, burial or cremation, clergy services and death certificates. Those who paid for several family funerals may apply for each, within a $35,500 per-state limit.
Applicants should gather Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, insurance details, other aid received and bank information before calling 844-684-6333, where a busy signal means trying later. Documents follow through an online account, by fax or by mail. FEMA warns that scammers have posed as the agency, and it will never ask for payment or sensitive details unsolicited. No deadline or payment schedule has been announced yet.
Starting this week, families who buried someone lost to COVID-19 can call a federal phone line and ask to be paid back. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has begun taking applications for funeral reimbursement, and the ceiling is now $9,000 per person, up $2,000 from the $7,000 limit announced in February.
The money comes from the COVID-19 relief law passed in December, the same package that delivered a second stimulus check of up to $600. The law set aside $2 billion for people harmed by the pandemic, including those who may have gone into debt to pay for a loved one's funeral and burial.
Eligibility turns on a few conditions, according to FEMA. The death must have occurred in the United States, including its territories and the District of Columbia. The funeral costs must have been incurred after Jan. 20, 2020. The death certificate must attribute the death to COVID-19, directly or indirectly. The applicant must be a US citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien, though the person who died does not need to have held any of those statuses. FEMA's website doesn't say whether there is an income requirement, and CNET said it had asked the agency.
The cap tracks real costs closely. The National Funeral Directors Association put the 2019 national median for a funeral with viewing and burial at $7,640. With a vault or casket, which cemeteries often require, it rose to $9,135. That figure leaves out cemetery, monument and headstone costs, as well as cash-advance charges such as flowers or an obituary fee. It isn't yet clear what determines whether an applicant gets the full amount or only part of it.
Covered expenses include transportation for up to two people to identify the deceased, transfer of remains, a casket or urn, a burial plot or cremation niche, a marker or headstone, clergy or officiant services, arranging the ceremony, use of funeral home equipment or staff, and cremation or interment. Costs of producing and certifying multiple death certificates count, as do any extras required by local or state law. Someone who paid for more than one family member's funeral can apply for each, up to $9,000 per funeral and $35,500 per application per state, territory or the District of Columbia.
Applicants are told to gather paperwork before calling: Social Security numbers and birth dates for both the applicant and the deceased, the applicant's address and phone number, and the place of death. They also need details of any burial or funeral insurance and of other help received, including donations, CARES Act grants and aid from voluntary organizations. Bank routing and account numbers are needed for direct deposit. Receipts or a funeral home contract must show both names, the amounts and the dates. FEMA can't duplicate benefits from funeral insurance or other assistance, though life insurance proceeds don't count as duplication.
The number is 844-684-6333. FEMA is receiving heavy call volume and technical problems, so a busy signal means trying again later. The call should take about 20 minutes, after which the applicant gets an application number and sends documents through a DisasterAssistance.gov account, by fax to 855-261-3452, or by mail to P.O. Box 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Approved applicants are paid by check or direct deposit. FEMA has set no deadline and given no timeline for payment.
FEMA has done something similar before. Under the Stafford Act it can help with funeral costs after presidentially declared disasters, as with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. After three hurricanes struck Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico in 2017, it paid about $2.6 million on 976 approved applications, per the Government Accountability Office. A spokesperson told CBS in December that the pandemic is far larger than anything the agency has handled, and said FEMA had already provided more than $56.2 billion in pandemic response.
The Federal Trade Commission has reported scammers posing as FEMA and offering to pay funeral costs. FEMA won't contact you unless you've applied or called first, won't ask for payment, and won't ask for your Social Security or bank details by call, text, email or social media. Anyone suspicious can hang up and report it to the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or the National Center for Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We are committed to bringing funeral assistance to the American people as quickly as possible.— FEMA spokesperson
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei CNET ↗
Politics & Governance