WOW! FEMA Is Paying a $9000 Funeral and Burial Grant to

[MineralMan]

families of COVID-19 victims who died of the disease:

Here's a link to the FEMA page that tells how to apply:

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

You call them at a dedicated toll-free number and they send you an application. The person must have died of COVID-19, as reflected on their death certificate.

The application must be accompanied by the death certificate, receipts or contracts from the funeral home and cemetery, along with information on funds you have received from other agencies or insurance.

Payment is by check or direct deposit. If you shared expenses with some other family members, you'll have to split it up on your own with that member or members. They only pay out once.

The phone line opened just this Monday, so the phone line is overwhelmed, but there is no deadline, and no limit to the number of grants to be paid out.

This is pretty huge, really. I'll be calling them at the end of the week or next week. My father's death certificate has COVID-19 as the cause of death. I have all of the required documents on hand. I've been storing everything carefully.

[dawg day]

1. I'm sorry about your dad. This has been a terrible year.

Let us know what you learn about this grant.

[MineralMan]

3. Everything is at that link.

That grant will cover the entire cost of my dad's funeral home expenses and burial.

[dawg day]

5. That's good-- it's such a big expense.

And after losing a loved one, having to worry about finances is just making it worse.

[bluestarone]

2. THIS would have NEVER happened under QRUMP!

I'm certain of that!

[PortTack]

4. My daughter's father got 8K -his wife and family were pretty relieved!

[msongs]

6. how much is a cremation these days? nt

[MineralMan]

7. A helluva lot less than casket burial!

My father insisted on a traditional burial, so that's what we did. Since my mother died on the same day, although separately, the cost for both was surprisingly high. However, those were their wishes, so we followed them.

[madinmaryland]

8. We paid about $850 a month ago when my mother-in-law died.

700 plus 150 for the box. We’ll be burying her in a month or so. If you go to a big name funeral home, they’ll charge you three times that for the same thing.

[joetheman]

9. At the time my husband died April 2020, the morticians were almost insisting on cremation.

They were backed up and frightened too. They even ran out of urns and had to order from a backlog. Many opted for cremation because of the delays for burial. Since churches around here were either closed for public burial or could only provide for 5-10 individuals present was another factor. I live in Maryland.

Costs for cremation for my spouse was $2959 and include 10 Death Certificates and the urn.

At the time it was still a heavy lift the medical expenses had already swallowed up savings and the family lost its sustaining income. Terrible time for lower income families no matter what burial type.

[dixiechiken1]

10. I'm not 100% sure but I believe only $2B is allocated for this...

So there will be a limit to the funds available. Please don't wait to apply - the sooner, the better.

FEMA says the funerals had to have occurred between Jan. 20 and Dec. 31, 2020 and will begin to implement COVID-19 funeral assistance in April.

The money comes from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. According to the posting, FEMA has $2 billion dollars for reimbursements.

https://www.wgntv.com/news/coronavirus/fema-to-reimburse-for-covid-19-funeral-costs-checks-could-start-in-april/amp/

I dialed over 100 times on Monday and finally got through. Spent almost an hour on hold, then about 25 min with them filling out the application with me on the phone. Once you get through this and you have an application number, you can either mail, fax, or go online and upload your supporting documents.

Pretty easy, really. Just be persistent. Good luck!

[MineralMan]

13. Apparently your dates are incorrect.

My father died on January 6, 2021. The agent said that I qualified. I don't think there is an end date to qualify as you suggested.

[dixiechiken1]

15. Okay, that's good. As I said, I wasn't sure...

[oasis]

11. K and R

thank you

[MineralMan]

12. UPDATE: I called the number, and successfully registered for this.

Fortunately, I had all of the information they requested at hand, and it was a lot of information.

If you call the number to file for this grant, you will need the deceased's death certificate at hand. They ask for information that is on it, including the address of place of death, in this case the address of the hospital. That's on the death certificate. They also need the deceased's SS# and date of birth, which is also on the death certificate. They also ask if COVID-19 is listed as a cause of death on the death certificate. It must be to get this grant in aid. They also ask for your household income (see last tax filing)

They will also ask for the date you paid for the funeral expenses, and whether or not the deceased had any funeral insurance, etc. You'll have to supply your SS#, as well. They check this stuff, apparently.

Then, you also have to answer questions to verify your identity, even after supplying your SS#. The usual questions about addresses where you may have lived, etc. Listen carefully. There are other questions that may not make any sense. You may have answered similar questions when you signed up to eFile your taxes at some point.

The call takes about 20 minutes to complete. Once you're done, you'll get a confirmation number and an agent number for the person you talked to. Write those down and keep them available.

Now, I'll wait to see what comes in the mail. You can choose to get the payment in a direct deposit or a paper check. I chose the paper check, to avoid giving my bank info out one more time.

So, if you have lost someone to COVID-19, follow through with this ASAP. I got through to an agent very quickly, so the initial rush on Monday appears to be over.

I'm listing all that stuff so you will have it available when you call. Fortunately, I called from my desk, and I know where everything is and could access it quickly. If you don't have it, you'll have to call back, because they can't approve your application without it.

The death must have occurred after January 1, 2020, but there is no end date to qualify. My father died in January of 2021 and my claim was accepted.

Next, they will send you information and you may have to supply documents, like invoices for the burial and funeral costs.

[dixiechiken1]

14. I'm so glad you got through!

Your instructions and narrative of how the call went, the information needed, etc., is very thorough. Should be helpful to others venturing into the process. 😊