FEMA Issues Final Policy for COVID Funeral Reimbursement
March 25, 2021
Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Congress authorized FEMA to provide financial assistance to individuals who incurred COVID-19-related funeral expenses after January 20, 2020. FEMA's final policy includes details such as eligibility and documentation criteria and the application process – for how funds will be distributed to families. Families will be able to receive up to $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.
Additionally, FEMA will only award COVID-19 Funeral Assistance for a deceased individual on a single application. If multiple individuals contributed toward funeral expenses, they should register under a single application as applicant and co-applicant. The applicant or co-applicant must have incurred the funeral expenses. The deceased individual’s documentation status is not considered as part of the reimbursement process, but the applicant(s) must be U.S. citizens, legal residents, asylees, refugees, or non-citizen nationals.
Now is the time for families to decide who the applicant and any co-applicants will be and to gather the documents they need to be reimbursed for expenses.
Specifically, the applicant must provide the following documents:
Eligible funeral expenses include but are not limited to:
If applicants already received reimbursement for certain funeral expenses through government agencies, voluntary agencies, non-profits, burial or funeral insurance, they cannot resubmit those same expenses for reimbursement through this FEMA-administered program. If they received any outside assistance, they must include documentation of this assistance in their application. If they received financial assistance through the deceased’s life insurance policy, they may still apply for reimbursement.
Within the next few weeks, FEMA will have a dedicated phone line to assist individuals with their applications for financial assistance.
FEMA's Funeral Assistance FAQ (Click here)
FEMA's Policy Document (Click here)