Many Americans are missing out on COVID-19 funeral benefit [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Families who’ve lost a loved one due to COVID-19 can benefit from FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program.
• However, many eligible families are missing out on the funeral reimbursement.
• Although launched a year ago, there is a smaller number of families who are aware of the funeral benefit.

Families who are facing the financial burden of funeral expenses for losing loved ones due to COVID-19 are eligible for funeral reimbursement. Yet, not many eligible families have requested the benefit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the total death toll from the coronavirus in the U.S. last week reached 974,277. The Biden administration has already reimbursed more than $2 billion in funeral aid to over 300,000 people. That’s an average of $6,500 per deceased American due to Covid-19.

Although it was launched in 2021 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), many families are missing out on the reimbursement due to a lack of awareness of the program. Not to mention the difficulties with filling out the required paperwork needed to apply.

“There were definitely some stumbling blocks in the beginning and some bureaucratic loopholes. In the early days of COVID-19, for example, the death certificate was not always attributed to COVID, so that was a problem,” Jaclyn Rothenberg, FEMA’s director of public affairs, told Yahoo Money. “We’re trying to better educate people about our program and how to apply. We need to reach even more families.”

According to the federal COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program, the government will reimburse funeral expenses in the United States or its territories on or after Jan. 20, 2020. Reimbursement would be up to $9,000 per individual. The maximum reimbursement is $35,000 for families who lost more than one member due to COVID-19.

Over the past five years, the median funeral cost has increased 6.6% to $7,848. The median cost of a funeral with cremation has increased 11.3% over the past five years to $6,970, according to the 2021 National Funeral Directors Association Member General Price List Study.

FEMA launched a paid media outreach campaign to help disseminate information about the program.

“We are assisting anyone, to the extent that we are able, since the federal government is not accepting applications from anyone other than immediate family members for the FEMA COVID reimbursements,” Kirk Freyvogel, co-owner of John A. Freyvogel Sons, Inc. Funeral Directors, in Pittsburgh, Pa., told Yahoo Money. “In fact, I just added a link within the last couple of days to the resources on our website regarding the regulations and requirements. And we are helping people get those requirements together if they need assistance.”

It usually takes less than 30 days to approve a reimbursement request, according to FEMA. Once approved, applicants who request direct deposit may receive the money within days. Applicants who request a check will have to wait a little longer.

No deadline has been set for application so eligible families can still claim the assistance.

Applicants can smooth the process by having all the required paperwork ready when they apply, which begins with a phone call to FEMA’s hotline at 844-684-6333 from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.

“We know we have more work to do,” Rothenberg said. “Our hope is that more people will take up this opportunity.”

Source: AOL.Com