Funeral Assistance FAQ

No. The end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and National Emergency declarations will not affect the eligibility period for COVID-19-related funeral expenses. You must incur COVID-19-related funeral expenses on or after January 20, 2020, to be eligible for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance. FEMA will release more information when an end date is established.

No. The end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and National Emergency declarations will not affect the application period for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, which does not currently have an end date. FEMA will release more information when a deadline to the application period is established.

No online applications will be accepted.

When you call, it will take about 20 minutes to apply, and you can ask questions and receive the help you need with the application process.

Once you have applied for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance and received your FEMA application number, you may submit required documentation to FEMA in several ways:

• Upload documents to your DisasterAssistance.gov account
• Fax to: 855-261-3452
• Mail to: P.O. BOX 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782

Only individuals who incurred COVID-19-related funeral expenses are eligible to apply for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance. FEMA will not provide COVID-19 Funeral Assistance funds to states, tribes, territories, businesses, organizations, and other entities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many. If you need help or support, please:

• Call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990 for immediate help and support.
• Visit the American Red Cross Virtual Family Assistance Center website, or call 833-492-0094, for comfort, support, information, and resource referrals if you have suffered loss due to COVID-19. All support is provided virtually and is completely confidential.

FEMA will not provide COVID-19 Funeral Assistance funds to states, tribes, territories, businesses, organizations, and other entities. The burial society would need to provide an itemized bill to the society member. The society member would then submit the bill to FEMA as part of their application for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.

FEMA expanded the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Interim Policy to assist with COVID-19 related deaths that occurred in the early months of the pandemic, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance on death certification. This policy change allows applicants to submit a signed statement from the certifying official on the death certificate, or the local medical examiner or local coroner, that links the death to COVID-19 for deaths that occurred between Jan. 20 and May 16, 2020. The applicant would submit the signed statement to FEMA along with the death certificate that does not list COVID-19 as a cause of death.

Following consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FEMA believes the largest number of undiagnosed COVID-19 cases likely occurred early in the pandemic and prior to the implementation of CDC’s national guidance on death certification related to COVID-19.

No. The signed statement must accompany the death certificate. The letter must also include a causal pathway, or explanation, linking the cause of death on the death certificate to COVID-19.