To help ease the financial burden of COVID-19, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been providing up to $9,000 reimbursement for funeral expenses related to COVID-19. FEMA is issuing a reminder that eligible families only have until September 30, 2025, to apply for this reimbursement.

As you know, families have many things they need to handle after the death of a loved one. Applying for assistance may have been something they were unable to handle at the time of their loved one’s death, or they may have simply forgotten to make the initial phone call to FEMA to begin the process. Use this deadline as an opportunity to reconnect with families you believe may be eligible to receive assistance and remind them to apply if they have not already done so. 

An indivdual may apply for FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance if:

• The applicant is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified non-citizen, 
• The death occurred in the United States, including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, 
• The death was attributed to COVID-19, and 
• The applicant is responsible for the eligible funeral expenses incurred on or after January 20, 2020. 

Applicants must begin the application process by calling FEMA at 844-684-6333; the call center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time (multilingual services are available). 

Complete details. Including eligibility requirements, reimbursable expense and required documentation can be found online: FEMA.gov/Disaster/Historic/Coronavirus/Economic/Funeral-Assistance.

Since FEMA began accepting applications for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance in April 2021, the agency has provided more than $315 billion in assistance to more than 488,000 people, with an average award of $6,400.