Those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 will soon be able to apply for reimbursements for funeral-related costs.
Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that it would provide financial assistance for families of people who died of COVID-19 after Jan. 20.
“It’s been a terrible time with all the COVID deaths and the way it has stressed families,” said Bert Austin, owner of Wilson & Knight and Williams & Lord funeral homes in Greenwood. “To have any type of financial relief is going to be a blessing for them.”
An applicant for COVID-19 assistance must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien, and the death must have occurred in the United States or one of its territories, according to FEMA’s guidelines.
A single applicant can apply for financial assistance for multiple individuals, for a maximum financial amount of $9,000 per funeral and a cap of $35,000 per applicant. Covered funeral expenses include the costs of the casket or urn, the transfer of the remains, a burial plot or cremation niche, the arrangement of a funeral ceremony and more.
Austin said the $9,000 cap should cover a substantial amount of funeral costs for most people.
In Leflore County, 123 residents had died of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
FEMA will begin accepting applications for its COVID-19 funeral relief program starting sometime in April. The agency is working to develop a dedicated toll-free number that people can call to apply.
In the meantime, applicants are encouraged to gather the following documents: an official death certificate verifying that the deceased person died in the United States and that the death was from COVID-19 or “may have been caused by” or “was likely the result of’ COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms; documents of funeral expenses that include the names of the applicant and the deceased person; and proof of funds received from other sources used toward funeral costs, since FEMA’s assistance may not duplicate burial or funeral assistance.
More information about the program and its terms and conditions, as well as where the toll-free number will be posted, is available at www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.
Austin said the program is “such a huge win for families who have been through this.”
FEMA also has put out a warning about scammers who have contacted people offering to register them for funeral aid. FEMA said it will “not contact people prior to them registering for assistance.”
Austin also emphasized the potential threat of a scam, saying, “no one will ever contact you about funeral reimbursements” at the beginning of the application stage. The first step in applying is to call FEMA’s toll-free number, he said.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
