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Many are missing out on COVID-19 funeral cost reimbursement
https://money.yahoo.com/covid-19-funeral-cost-reimbursement-130639474.html“There were definitely some stumbling blocks in the beginning and some bureaucratic loopholes. In the early days of COVID-19, for example, the death certificate was not always attributed to COVID, so that was a problem,” Jaclyn Rothenberg, FEMA’s director of public affairs, told Yahoo Money. “We're trying to better educate people about our program and how to apply. We need to reach even more families.”
The federal COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program will reimburse up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for people who incurred such expenses related to a COVID-19-related death in the United States or its territories on or after Jan. 20, 2020 — with a maximum of $35,000 for families who may have multiple funeral expenses due to COVID-1 — as long as there is proper documentation.
How to apply for funeral help from FEMA
To be eligible for reimbursement, the death certificate must attribute the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 for those who died on or after May 17, 2020.
For a death that occurred in the early weeks of the pandemic — from Jan. 20, 2020 to May 16, 2020 — the death certificate must be submitted along with a signed statement from the original certifier of the death, or the local medical examiner or coroner, either listing COVID-19 as a cause or contributing cause of death, or providing an additional explanation linking the cause of death listed on the death certificate to COVID-19, according to the agency.
There’s no deadline to apply, so eligible families can still claim the assistance. To do so, all applicants must provide a copy of the death certificate, proof of funeral expenses incurred, and proof of funeral assistance received from any other source.
Applicants can smooth the process by having all the required paperwork ready when they apply, which begins with a phone call to FEMA’s hotline at 844-684-6333 from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
The federal COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program will reimburse up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for people who incurred such expenses related to a COVID-19-related death in the United States or its territories on or after Jan. 20, 2020 — with a maximum of $35,000 for families who may have multiple funeral expenses due to COVID-1 — as long as there is proper documentation.
How to apply for funeral help from FEMA
To be eligible for reimbursement, the death certificate must attribute the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 for those who died on or after May 17, 2020.
For a death that occurred in the early weeks of the pandemic — from Jan. 20, 2020 to May 16, 2020 — the death certificate must be submitted along with a signed statement from the original certifier of the death, or the local medical examiner or coroner, either listing COVID-19 as a cause or contributing cause of death, or providing an additional explanation linking the cause of death listed on the death certificate to COVID-19, according to the agency.
There’s no deadline to apply, so eligible families can still claim the assistance. To do so, all applicants must provide a copy of the death certificate, proof of funeral expenses incurred, and proof of funeral assistance received from any other source.
Applicants can smooth the process by having all the required paperwork ready when they apply, which begins with a phone call to FEMA’s hotline at 844-684-6333 from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
More at the link.
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