If you lost someone due to COVID-19, Prout Funeral Home wants you to know that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is opening a program to reimburse funeral expenses. The assistance is limited to $9,000 per funeral for a single funeral, or $35,000 if an applicant suffered multiples losses.
There are a lot of rules around the application process, and Prout spells them out on its website. The death must have taken place in the United States or its associated territories and the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses for a death attributed to COVID-19 after January 20, 2020. The person does not need to be the next-of-kin or executor but their name needs to be on the funeral home contract, bill or receipt.
Funeral homes cannot apply on behalf of their clients, but Prout says it is available to help with any questions people may have or documentation they may need.
FEMA has set up a page on its website with information about the program, and says that it will be establishing a dedicated “1-800” phone number in the coming weeks to help individuals applying for assistance.
COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in Verona last year, with 15 deaths through December 31. A 16th person died in January and a 17th death has just been reported.
