*Updated April 13, 2021

The federal government recently announced a funeral reimbursement for families whose loved one died of COVID-19. Eligibility details and application instructions can be found on this flyer.

FEMA suggests that families collect documentation of their funeral expenses and ensure that they have a copy of the death certificate before they call the phone number on the flyer. In order to be eligible, your loved one’s death certificate must state that their death was caused either directly or indirectly by COVID-19. If you need a copy of your loved one's death certificate, and you used our funeral home for services, we can help you obtain an additional copy. You can also request one directly from the office of vital records.

If your loved one's death certificate does NOT state that COVID-19 was the direct or indirect cause of death, we are not able to change that for you. You will need to contact the doctor who signed the death certificate if you believe that your loved one's death certificate was prepared in error.

You will also need documentation of the funeral bill and how it was paid. Documentation will need to include the name of the person applying for the benefit indicating that they were the responsible party for the expenses, the deceased person's name, and the amount and date(s) of funeral expenses incurred. If multiple people contributed towards funeral expenses, they must all register with FEMA under one registration as an applicant and co-applicant(s). Otherwise, only the first person to apply will receive the assistance.

Please give us a call if you need an additional copy of your invoice. We also suggest gathering documentation of any cemetery expenses before you apply. These can be obtained from the cemetery or monument dealer who assisted your family.

Additional guidance can be found on FEMA's FAQ page.

One final note: there are already scams going around about this program. FEMA will not reach out to you until after you have contacted them or applied for assistance. If you have not yet applied and receive a call or an email from someone claiming to be from FEMA and asking for information, you can assume it is a scammer.