FEMA Offers COVID-19 Funeral Assistance

11/30/2021 01:14 PM

FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred on or after January 20, 2020.

To be eligible for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, the following conditions must be met: 

  • The death must have occurred in the United States
  • The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses on or after January 20, 2020.
  • There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.
  • The death certificate must attribute the death to COVID-19. If the death occurred between January 20, 2020, and May 16, 2020, and the death certificate does not attribute the death to COVID-19, you may submit a signed statement from the medical official who certified the death certificate, or the local coroner or medical examiner, linking the cause of death to COVID-19.

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to: 

  • Transportation to identify the deceased individual
  • Transfer of remains
  • A burial plot or cremation niche
  • A marker or headstone
  • Clergy or officiant services
  • The use of funeral home equipment or staff
  • Cremation or interment costs

Applicants will need to provide the following information to FEMA:

  • Applicant's name, Social Security number, date of birth, mailing address, and contact phone numbers.
  • Name, Social Security number, and date of birth for each deceased individual.
  • Location or address where the individual died.
  • Documentation and receipts for funeral assistance received from other sources, including burial or funeral insurance, donations, other government programs, or non-profit organizations.
  • The name and information of up to one co-applicant, if anyone besides the main applicant incurred funeral expenses for the deceased individual(s).

How to apply for assistance:

  1. Call FEMA's COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 1-844-684-6333 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time Monday-Friday to begin the application process.
  2. Submit your documents online through disasterassistance.gov; fax your documents to 855-261-3452; or mail documents to COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, P.O. Box 10001 Hyattsville, MD 20782.

For more information, go to FEMA.gov/funeral-assistance/faq, or click the flyer below.

Documents