This program covers all decedents who died of Covid 19 in the United States, including US territories, since January 20, 2020.

April 12, 2021.

No end date has yet been established for this program.

Expenses for funeral services and interment typically include, but are not limited to:

• Transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual
• Transfer of remains
• Casket
• Burial plot
• Marker or headstone
• Officiant services
• Arrangement of the funeral ceremony
• Use of funeral home staff and equipment
• Burial costs
• Costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates
• Additional expenses mandated by any applicable local or state government laws or ordinances

Every state and local government site, as well as every funeral home, should have information on eligible expenses in that state.

Only US citizens, non-citizen nationals, or qualified aliens may apply. Note that the decedent does not have to have been a US citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien, but the applicant must be.

The applicant does not have to be related to the decedent, but must have paid or contracted for funeral arrangements for the decedent.

Even if more than one person contributed to funeral expenses, only one person may apply; a second person who helped with expenses should be listed as a co-applicant. There may be only one co-applicant on any application.

If three or more people contributed to funeral expenses, you may provide their documentation for consideration, but they are not considered co-applicants.

Anyone who paid any amount of the funeral expenses may be listed as the primary applicant, even if someone else paid the majority of the funeral expenses.

According to the DHS briefing for faith-based and neighborhood partnerships, FEMA’s application phone line has translators available for 126 languages.

Anyone who assisted with payments for funeral expenses may apply as the primary applicant, even if someone else paid the majority of the expenses.

If only one person paid for funeral expenses, and they are incapacitated, their Power of Attorney may apply on their behalf. Power of Attorney documentation will need to be submitted in such cases.

Yes, a minor child who is a US citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien may submit an application if they paid for funeral expenses.

Temporary tourist visa holders, foreign students, temporary work visa holders, and habitual residents, such as citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, are not eligible for this program.

Yes.

1. An official death certificate that shows
a) the death occurred in the US, including US territories, and
b) the cause of death to be directly or indirectly related to Covid-19.

• This includes language such as:
  • The death may have been caused by Covid-19
  • The death was likely a result of Covid-19
  • The death was likely a result of Covid-19–like symptoms

• NOTE: As per an amendment by FEMA, issued on June 29, 2021, the following rules apply to deaths which occurred between January 20 and May 16, 2021:

• If the death certificate does not have language that shows the cause of death to be directly or indirectly related to Covid-19, there is no need to seek an amended death certificate.

• Applicants can submit a signed statement from either the certifying official listed on the death certificate, the coroner, or the medical examiner, linking the cause of death to COVID-19.

• The statement must be submitted with the death certificate.

• For deaths occurring after May 16, 2021, if the death certificate attributed death to a different cause, the death certificate needs to be amended to fit the original criteria.

2. All documents related to funeral expenses. Documentation must include the applicant’s name, the decedent’s name, the amount of the expense, and the date of the expense. See above for qualified expenses.

If you have other expenses, ask the FEMA representative if they are eligible when you apply for the grant.

If someone other than the applicant paid for a covered expense, they should be listed as a co-applicant on the grant. However, there can only be one co-applicant.

If more than two people contributed to eligible funeral expenses, you may submit documentation of the covered expenses paid by the other funders for consideration, but they are not considered co-applicants.

Information about the applicant (and co-applicant, if applicable):

• • Social Security number
  • Date of birth
  • Current mailing address
  • Current telephone number
  • Annual gross income (for applicant only)*
  • Routing and account number of the applicant’s bank account, if direct deposit is requested

Information about the decedent:

• • Social Security number
  • Date of birth
  • Location or address where the decedent died, which can be found on the death certificate

Information about funeral expenses:

• • Information about funding sources for funeral expenses:
  • Information about burial or funeral insurance policies
  • Information about any other funeral assistance received, such as donations, assistance from voluntary agencies, government programs, government agencies, grants, or any other source of funding for funeral expenses

*Note that applicants will be asked to provide their annual gross income, but that this information will not affect the amount of reimbursement.

Once you have gathered all the required information and documentation, you may open an application by calling FEMA’s funeral assistance line at (844) 684-6333 or TTY (800) 462-7585 between the hours of 9 AM to 9 PM Eastern Time.

Applications are opened by phone only. There is currently no way to open an application online or through a paper form.

Applicants will receive an application number, and will then be required to submit documentation under that application number.

Documentation may be faxed, sent by mail, or uploaded. Uploading documents is the fastest way to get them to FEMA. All documentation must include the applicant’s name, application number, and the last four digits of their social security number.

Fax documentation to 855-261-3452.

Mail documentation to P.O. BOX 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Create an account on disasterassistance.gov by clicking HERE.

All uploaded documents should be in JPEG or PDF format. Each document should be uploaded separately. A multi-page document should be uploaded in a single file.

Uploaded documentation may take up to three days to appear under the application number.

Reimbursement will be made by check or direct deposit, depending on the applicant's preference.

Even if you did not upload documents to disasterassistance.gov, creating an account with your application number on that website will allow you to check the status of your application, as well as receive correspondence from FEMA electronically.

Create an account on disasterassistance.gov by clicking HERE.

Even if you did not upload documents to the disasterassistance.gov website, creating an account with your application number on that website will allow you to check the status of your application, as well as receive correspondence from FEMA electronically.

Create an account on disasterassistance.gov by clicking HERE.

FEMA will not contact anyone to register them for this program. Any call claiming to be from FEMA in order to register you should be considered fraudulent.

Once you have already called to register yourself, it is possible that FEMA will call you. However, if you have any concern that the call may not be legitimate, feel free to withhold information, and instead call the FEMA helpline at (800) 621-3362. Do not call this number to register.

If this is the case, the death certificate may be amended to reflect the impact of Covid-19 on the decedent’s death. The person who certified the death, whether they were the treating doctor, the coroner, or someone else, should be contacted and presented with evidence of Covid-19’s impact on the decedent’s death.

The amended death certificate should be issued prior to applying for reimbursement.

Any individual who contributed to funeral expenses should be listed as a co-applicant on the grant.

However, if funds came from any other source, such as funeral insurance; a government agency; a charitable organization, such as a synagogue; they are not eligible for reimbursement through this grant. For example, if a charitable organization directly paid for the funeral expenses, they cannot be reimbursed. However, if the organization gave funds to the family, and the family paid for the expenses with these funds, the family would be eligible for reimbursement.

Proceeds of a life insurance policy are not disqualified as a source of funding for funeral expenses, even if they were used for this purpose. The beneficiary of the policy can apply for full reimbursement of funeral expenses.

Proceeds of a life insurance policy are not disqualified as a source of funding for funeral expenses, even if they were used for this purpose. The beneficiary of the policy can apply for full reimbursement of funeral expenses.

All covered funeral expenses incurred by eligible individuals will be reimbursed up to $9,000 per decedent.

EXAMPLE: The funeral expenses totaled $15,000, with $6,000 paid by an organization, and $9,000 paid by eligible individuals. The individuals may apply for reimbursement of $9,000.

EXAMPLE: the funeral expenses totaled $15,000 with $5,000 paid by an organization, and $10,000 paid by eligible individuals. The individuals may apply for reimbursement of $9,000, since this is the maximum amount available per decedent.

Funeral expenses for which the decedent pre-paid are not eligible for reimbursement.

Applicants or co-applicants may apply for multiple decedents. One person may be an applicant for one decedent, and a co-applicant for another. However, the total amount of reimbursement to any one applicant or co-applicant is capped at $35,000, no matter how many decedents they paid for.

Even if an expense has not yet been paid, for example for a headstone, there must be a contract for this expense that shows the applicant’s (or co-applicant’s) name, the decedent’s name, the amount of the expense, and the date of the contract.

It is highly recommended that all expenses be either paid or contracted before applying for Covid-19 Funeral Assistance. While there is a 60-day window after application to file an appeal for additional funeral expenses, this is a much more difficult route to take.

In this case, funeral expenses would not be covered. The decedent must have died in the United States or US territories.

https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgvN_9m58Z0

FEMA Application Line: (844) 684-6333

FEMA Application TTY: (800) 462-7585

Application Hours: 9 AM to 9 PM Eastern Time

Phone number for faxing documentation: 855-261-3452.

Address for mailing documentation: P.O. BOX 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Disaster Assistance website (to create an account in order to upload documentation, see application status, and receive electronic communication from FEMA):  https://www.disasterassistance.gov/DAC/rgsnDownloadNewAcct.do

FEMA helpline: (800) 621-3362. (Do not call this number to register.)