Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New FEMA program will help people recover COVID-related funeral expenses

Photo by Julius Tejeda

 

People who incurred funeral expenses aftering losing a loved one to COVID-19 may have some of their expenses recovered. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced applications are open for COVID-19 funeral assistance. The program is funded through pandemic relief legislation. 

The assistance covers things like transportation, transfer of remains,a casket or urn, clergy or officiant services, ceremony arrangement, burial plot or cremation, and headstone markers. 

To be eligible, applicants must meet the conditions and provide supporting documents that prove they incurred funeral expenses on or after Jan. 20, 2020, and that their loved one died in the U.S. from COVID-19. Applicants can apply for funeral assistance for up to two people.

All applicants will be screened over the phone; call 844-684-6333 or TTY: 800-462-7585. No online applications will be available.

April Franklin is an occasional local host of WXXI's Weekend Edition.