Federal agency will provide financial assistance for funerals of people who died of COVID-19

RICHMOND — Starting next week, Virginians who lost family members to COVID-19 will be able to ask the federal government for help in paying for their funerals.

Applications for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be available beginning April 12, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said Tuesday. Anyone who incurred funeral expenses for a COVID-related death after Jan. 20, 2020, is eligible for the program, as long as the death occurred on U.S. soil or in any of the five U.S. territories — American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Assistance is limited to a maximum $9,000 per funeral and maximum $35,500 per application. Services covered include the actual service itself, plus interment or cremation.

Applicants may apply for multiple deaths attributed to COVID-19. If more than one person helped pay for the funeral, they can ask for assistance through one application.

To be eligible for assistance, applicants must provide the following information:

Social Security numbers snf birth dates of both the applicant and of the person who died; applicant's current mailing address and telephone number; the address or location of where the family member died; a copy of the death certificate that shows where the death occurred and whether it was directly or indirectly attributed to COVID-19; documents showing the funeral expenses, such as receipts or contracts, that include names of the applicant and the deceased, when the services were provided and how much they cost information on any burial or funeral insurance policies; information about other funeral assistance received, such as donations; and any CARES Act grants or assistance from volunteer organizations

FEMA will not match any private or public donations toward the funeral expenses, nor can it duplicate insurance payments, according to the state. It also will not cover prepaid expenses.

If you think your loved one's death was caused by COVID-19 but was not certified as such, VDEM wants you to contact the medical practitioner who certified the death. That person will provide any amendments to the application.

“We appreciate the partnership with FEMA as the Commonwealth of Virginia continues to assist its residents that have been financially impacted by the pandemic,” VDEM state coordinator Curtis Brown said in a statement. “These Funeral Assistance funds will help ease some of the financial burden incurred from a tragic COVID-19 death.”

Applications will be submitted through a dedicated call center from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The number for that center is (844) 684-6333, or (800) 462-7585 for those with hearing or speech impairments.

For more information about the FEMA assistance, click this link.

Both VDEM and FEMA say that potential scam artists have tried to contact people about registering them for payment assistance. The agencies are not making any calls and have provided information about what to do if you are contacted.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, more than 10,400 Virginians have died of COVID-related illness since the pandemic swept across Virginia in March 2020.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is the news director of The Progress-Index, located in his hometown of Petersburg, Va. He is also the breaking-news coordinator and has been known to "nerd out" over political news coverage and history. Contact Bill at batkinson@progress-index.com, and follow him on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Federal agency will provide financial assistance for funerals of people who died of COVID-19

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