As you know, beginning in mid-April, individuals who were responsible for funeral expenses for a loved one who died of COVID-19 were eligible to apply for FEMA Funeral Assistance. FEMA may contact funeral homes to validate information provided by an applicant, when needed.  

There could be for a variety of reasons for this call, and if FEMA is unable to validate the expense, it could delay or even stop processing of the case. 

FEMA may ask your funeral home to confirm the following information:

• The applicant’s name indicated as the responsible party for the expenses
• The total amount of the funeral expenses
• The deceased individual’s name
• The date funeral expenses were incurred

If FEMA is unable to reach someone at your funeral home, they will leave the following message with the funeral home’s point of contact: 

FEMA is trying to reach [Funeral Home Name]. Please contact a FEMA Representative at 1-844-684-6333 between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST Monday through Friday, and a representative will gladly assist to confirm information to support a COVID-19 funeral request as soon as possible. Please provide the applicant’s name, deceased individual’s name, and the four-digit disaster number when you call back [provide this information to the third-party or voicemail]. When you call back, please state “AGENT” when prompted to do so by the automated system. This will ensure your call is routed to a person to discuss this case. Thank You.

If you are concerned that a call from someone identifying themselves as a FEMA representative may be fraudulent, you may report the caller to FEMA-OCSO-Tipline@fema.dhs.gov or StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov. 

For more information about FEMA Funeral Assistance, please visit the NFDA COVID-19 Information Hub (FEMA Funeral Assistance page).