Patricia Dillon

Over the past year, many families across our state and country have suffered the pain of losing a loved one due to COVID-19. In addition to dealing with their tragic loss, families were suddenly saddled with the high cost of funeral expenses. In order to ease this financial burden incurred by loved ones left behind, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced it will be providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.

Before applying, make sure to gather the following information and documentation:

• Your name, social security number, date of birth, mailing address and contact phone numbers.
• The name, social security number and date of birth for each deceased individual.
• If applicable, the name, social security number and date of birth for any other person who incurred funeral expenses for the same deceased individual(s)
• The location or address where the deceased individual passed away.
• Documentation and receipts for any assistance already received from other sources, including burial or funeral insurance, donations, voluntary agencies, other government programs or non-profit organizations.

To begin the application process, please call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 1-844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Once you’ve submitted an application, you can submit your documentation online through disasterassistance.gov, by fax (855-261-3452), or by mail (COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, P.O. Box 10001 Hyattsville, MD 20782).

For more information on this assistance, visit fema.gov/funeral-assistance/faq.