Many families who are eligible have not taken advantage of a federal program that reimburses families up to $9,000 of funeral costs for loved ones who died of COVID-19, NPR reported on Sunday.
About 226,000 people had shared, as of Dec. 6, in the almost $1.5 billion that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent on funeral costs for those who died after Jan. 20, 2020, the date of the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the U.S.
Since there have been more than 800,000 deaths in the U.S. from coronavirus, it is clear that many have not requested the funeral benefit, which is funded using federal stimulus money.
For families to be eligible for the benefit, the death certificates of those who died after May 16, 2020, must show that the death was due to COVID-19.
For deaths that occurred before that date, the death certificates must include a signed statement from a medical examiner, coroner or the certifying official listed on the certificate indicating that COVID-19 was at least a contributing cause of death, according to NPR.
David Shipper, owner of the Sunset Funeral Home, Cremation Center & Cemetery in Evansville, Indiana, has been informing grieving families of the benefit, including helping them gather the required documentation, contacting FEMA and walking the bereaved through the process
Shipper said that many families were unaware of the benefit, but others may decide against taking advantage of it because they don’t want to experience the pain of the death again.
For this reason, he emphasized, it is better to seek the benefit while planning the funeral.
Expenses covered under the benefit program include funeral services, cremation and interment.
The program also covers the costs of caskets or urns, burial plots or cremation niches, markers or headstones, transportation or transfer of remains, clergy or officiant services, as well as the use of funeral home equipment or staff, NPR reported.
It usually takes under 30 days to determine if a person is eligible for the benefit after the documents have been received and verified, according to FEMA.
Those who want the funds directly deposited can receive the money in a matter of days once eligibility is confirmed, although it may take longer for those who request a check.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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