The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expanding its COVID-19 funeral assistance program to provide financial aid to more families whose loved ones died of the disease.
In a release, FEMA said it is revising its funeral assistance policy to allow flexibility for families and officials to attribute deaths to COVID-19, even if that information isn’t listed on someone’s death certificate, and still be eligible for financial assistance.
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The goal is to help pave the way for families whose loved ones died of COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic get the help they need covering their relatives’ funeral costs.
Under the revised policy, those seeking financial help with COVID-19 related funerals between Jan. 20 and May 16, 2020, can submit the death certificate along with a letter from the medical examiner or coroner stating that the death is linked to COVID-19.
The statement from those officials must show or explain why the cause of death listed on someone’s death certificate was, in fact, related to the disease caused by novel coronavirus.
Since FEMA began accepting applications for COVID-19 funeral assistance, the agency has awarded more than $447 million in financial aid to more than 66,800 applicants, the agency said.
Learn more about this federal program by visiting FEMA’s website.