COVID-19 Funeral Assistance | FEMA.gov

Who is Eligible?

What is covered?

What is necessary?

How does it work?

Totals of funeral assistance by state

Additional Resources

FEMA has allocated $2.8 billion to eligible applicants for COVID-19 burial assistance.

If you’re paying for a COVID-19 funeral, FEMA may be able to help.

You may be entitled to up to $9,000 per funeral expense.

Have questions?

Call 844-684-6333
Monday – Friday
9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Multilingual services are available.

If you use a referral service, please provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to you for the service so that we can contact you regarding your request.

Who is Eligible?

FEMA can provide you with COVID-19 burial assistance if:

• You are a US citizen, non-citizen or qualified non-citizen.
• the death occurred in the United States, including the US Territories and the District of Columbia;
• the death was attributed to COVID-19; And
• You are responsible for reimbursable funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020

What is covered?

FEMA may approve COVID-19 burial assistance for the following expenses:

• funeral services
• cremation
• funeral
• Costs related to the preparation of death certificates
• Costs due to local or state laws or regulations

• Transporting up to two people to identify the deceased
• Transfer of human remains
• coffin or urn
• tomb

• marker or tombstone
• clergy
• funeral ceremony
• Funeral Home Equipment or Personnel

To learn more and start an application, give us a call 844-684-6333.

What is necessary?

You must provide FEMA with a copy of an official death certificate certifying that the death occurred in the United States, including the US Territories and the District of Columbia, after January 20, 2020 and was due to COVID-19.

If the death certificate was issued between January 20 and May 16, 2020, it must either 1) directly or indirectly attribute the death to COVID-19, or 2) be accompanied by a signed statement from the original certifier of the death certificate, or the A Local coroner or coroner from the jurisdiction where the death occurred, citing COVID-19 as the cause of death or contributory cause of death. This signed statement must include an additional explanation or causal link linking the cause of death listed on the death certificate to COVID-19.

You must provide FEMA with a signed funeral home contract, invoice, receipts, or other documentation that includes:

• Your name, showing that you are responsible for some or all of the costs
• the name of the person who died
• itemized expenses
• Evidence that expenses were incurred on or after January 20, 2020

To learn more or to start an application, give us a call 844-684-6333.

How does it work?

1. To apply, call 844-684-6333 toll-free, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. FEMA representatives will take your request and multilingual services are available. Funeral assistance requests related to COVID-19 must be submitted to a FEMA representative; You cannot apply online. The application takes about 20 minutes and you must provide the following:
   • Your social security number and date of birth
   • The social security number and date of birth of the deceased
   • Your current postal address and phone number
   • The address where the person died
   • If the deceased person has funeral or burial insurance
   • If you received other funeral assistance (such as donations, CARES Act grants, state/territorial assistance, or support from volunteer organizations)
   • If you wish to receive Eligible Funds by direct deposit, please provide your routing number and your checking or savings account number.
2. After you apply, FEMA will provide you with an application number and you can create an account on DisasterAssistance.gov.
3. You must submit supporting documents (e.g. funeral home contracts, receipts, bills, death certificate) through:
   • upload to your DisasterAssistance.gov account
   • fax at 855-261-3452
   • post to: PO Box 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782.
4. Once FEMA has received all the required documents, it takes approximately 45 days to make an eligibility decision.
5. If FEMA approves your application for funeral assistance during COVID-19, the money will be deposited into your bank account or mailed in the form of a Treasury Department check, depending on the option you selected when making your application. Funds usually arrive within a few days of approval and you will receive a notification letter.

Totals of funeral assistance by state

As of May 1, 2023, there were more than 467,630 applications for a total of more than $3.0 billion for 478,071 deceased. Applications may include funeral expenses for more than one deceased in a state.

State/Territory	applications	Approved Amount	number of awards
Alabama	12,876	$70,384,951.54	10,396
Alaska	535	$1,959,402.19	406
American Samoa	33	$85,658.81	15
Arizona	10.213	$40,233,581.62	8.156
Arkansas	6,069	$30,803,942.41	4,953
California	47,662	$240,264,137.67	37,793
Colorado	5,605	$24,526,309.71	4,544
Connecticut	5,717	$32,224,729.39	4,712
Delaware	1,824	$9,415,783.90	1,475
District of Columbia	859	$4,299,715.43	644
Florida	37,762	$170,551,949.64	30,623
Georgia	23,152	$127,829,288.43	18,680
Guam	34	$159,007.19	22
Hawaii	862	$3,857,329.34	663
Idaho	2.119	$9,670,682.64	1,762
Illinois	22,833	$127,814,719.60	18,598
Indiana	12.019	$67,846,997.85	9,850
Iowa	4,972	$29,388,960.97	4.140
Kansas	5,270	$28,561,243.20	4,400
Kentucky	11.124	$65,241,933.71	9,071
Louisiana	9,561	$51,848,098.17	7,540
Maine	1,374	$5,767,751.07	1,071
Marshall Islands	Less than 10	$7,148.71	Less than 10
Maryland	10.021	$54,619,081.20	8.138
Massachusetts	10,870	$60,612,005.72	8,890
Michigan	21,023	$106,281,798.33	17,250
Minnesota	6.407	$36,033,071.48	5.313
Mississippi	8,590	$46,086,194.31	6,816
Missouri	11,796	$61,411,517.92	9,877
Montana	1,475	$6,200,244.53	1,226
Nebraska	2,637	$15,120,614.03	2.195
Nevada	5.009	$20,855,075.69	3,971
New Hampshire	1,585	$7,633,208.96	1,279
New Jersey	18,697	$105,458,097.36	15,250
New Mexico	3,774	$15,504,589.43	2,938
new York	40,726	$224,919,296.62	32,745
North Carolina	19,512	$103,678,420.02	15,953
North Dakota	1.308	$8,219,160.64	1.107
Northern Mariana Islands	37	$101,411.99	20
Ohio	25,290	$136,372,172.83	21,060
Oklahoma	9.167	$46,710,273.01	7,491
Oregon	2,991	$10,426,236.78	2,362
Pennsylvania	27,777	$152,782,932.31	23,100
Puerto Rico	3.149	$9,440,875.51	2,376
Rhode Island	1,851	$10,567,729.03	1,548
South Carolina	12,950	$70,967,292.11	10,567
South Dakota	1,315	$7,733,532.08	1,087
Tennessee	16,469	$91,558,378.80	13,643
Texas	51,100	$267,965,827.94	41,445
US Virgin Islands	90	$450,351.82	70
Utah	2,669	$14,833,139.55	2.194
Vermont	379	$1,658,358.89	303
Virginia	13,768	$74,193,460.39	11,245
Washington	5.188	$21,459,264.58	4,073
West Virginia	4,763	$26,183,915.08	3,849
Wisconsin	9,553	$52,607,644.75	7,970
Wyoming	914	$4,149,830.67	763

Questions?

Call 844-684-6333
Monday – Friday
9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Multilingual services available
If you use a referral service, please provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to you for the service so that we can contact you regarding your request.

Additional Resources

The following resources are for community-based organizations to share information about COVID-19 funeral assistance with their community members. These files can be downloaded and shared on publicly available communication channels.

Source link