Has your family had financial hardship associated with paying funeral expenses for a loved one whose death was directly or indirectly due to COVID-19? If so, there is some financial relief you may be eligible for, through FEMA. Applications will open on April 1st, 2021, but here are the high level points released so far:

Eligibility requirements:

• Funeral expenses were after January 20, 2020.
• The death must have occurred in the US
• The death certificate must attribute the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19.
• The applicant must be a US citizen or short list of other possible statuses.

Documentation necessary for application:

• Official death certificate
• Funeral expenses paperwork
• Paperwork about funding sources that aren’t allowed for double-dipping (so for example, if there’s funeral insurance, then that amount doesn’t get to count for also getting FEMA funeral assistance)

What is not required:

• The deceased does not need to be a US citizen or other specific status.
• So far there are no listed financial status requirements.

To read through the current information yourself, please go to FEMA’s website.

Please share with anyone you know who has lost a loved one due to COVID-19 during this time, who would benefit from this new FEMA funeral assistance.