FEMA begins accepting applications for reimbursements to cover funeral expenses of COVID-19 deaths

Through a new program launched Monday, the federal government aims to help alleviate the financial burden on grieving families who paid for the funerals of those who died of COVID-19.

Beginning Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide reimbursements of up to $9,000 for eligible applicants, covering the funeral arrangements of those who died as a result of COVID-19. In Connecticut, the program may offer a financial respite to the families of the nearly 8,000 state residents who have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic arrived last spring.

David MacDonald, a funeral director in Wallingford, said he spent the weekend going through his list of funerals from the past year. For every death certificate that listed COVID-19 — about 100 out of 400 deaths handled by his Wallingford Funeral Home and Yalesville Funeral Home — he compiled receipts and documentation and contacted the family of the deceased to alert them to the funding.

“It was definitely a big sense of relief, the few people that hadn’t heard anything,” said MacDonald, who is also the president of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. “It was nice to give someone some good news even though it was about a sad subject.”

To be eligible for the funding, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien who paid for funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020 for an individual whose death in the United States — including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia — was attributed to COVID-19.

There is neither a requirement for the citizenship status of the deceased person nor a deadline to apply for the funding. But the person’s official death certificate must attribute their death “directly or indirectly” to COVID-19, according to FEMA. Assistance is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application per state, territory or District of Columbia.

MacDonald said that while funeral expenses can significantly range, $9,000 would likely cover the bulk of a traditional funeral service. (A simple cremation might run about $2,000, while a larger funeral could exceed $10,000, he said.)

According to FEMA, covered expenses include the transportation of up to two individuals to identify the deceased, the transfer of remains, a casket or urn, a burial plot or cremation niche, a marker or headstone, clergy services, use of funeral home equipment or staff, and cremation or interment costs, among others. Pre-planned or pre-paid funeral are not eligible for reimbursement, even if the person died due to COVID-19.

Applicants must call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line Number at 844-684-6333, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. According to FEMA, it should take about 20 minutes to apply by phone. There is no online application process, although applicants will be asked to upload supporting information after receiving an application number.

Jesse Gomes, the funeral director at Molloy Funeral Home in West Hartford said that the FEMA funeral funding will provide critical relief for many families.

“A lot of what happened during COVID were untimely or unexpected deaths — not that we can ever plan for a death — but having the monetary funds to provide for a device may have been difficult, and maybe more so through the pandemic,” he said.

Gomes said that families who might have deferred funeral services due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions should consider beginning to plan arrangements now, as restrictions lift and vaccinations become more widespread. Molloy Funeral Home has already seen a wave of funerals planned for this spring, he said.

Gomes encouraged families seeking FEMA assistance to contact the funeral home directors they worked with for help with the process.

“As funeral directors, our job is to serve the community and family and help them navigate the FEMA waters,” he said.

Eliza Fawcett can be reached at elfawcett@courant.com.