More Than $278 Million in FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Cost Reimbursements

 

WASHINGTON – June 14, 2021 – FEMA has provided more than $278 million to over 41,000 people for COVID-19-related funeral costs reimbursements.

The national average for an award is $6,756, as nearly 2,500 FEMA employees continue working with applicants to manually review every application, determining eligibility each week.

“Applications” in the below chart reflect the number of individuals who called to begin the process for assistance. Once an individual applies, FEMA sends a letter outlining the required documentation needed to process their application. The process to determine eligibility starts after an applicant submits all required documentation. FEMA developed a process to ensure applicants have ample time to collect and submit required documents for assistance. While some jurisdictions provide or amend death certificates in four to six weeks, others may take longer. FEMA will make calls and send additional letters reminding applicants of the required documents.

Please find below state-specific information:

State/Territory Applications Amount Approved Number of Awards
ALABAMA 4,974 $6,113,924 859
ALASKA 100 $60,834 10
AMERICAN SAMOA 4 $0 0
ARIZONA 3,648 $2,652,357 483
ARKANSAS 2,079 $2,711,798 416
CALIFORNIA 23,627 $25,840,240 3,861
COLORADO 1,585 $1,240,511 212
COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANAS 3  $4,344 1
CONNECTICUT 2,724 $4,825,250 670
DELAWARE 658 $831,673 128
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 435 $623,395 87
FLORIDA 12,312 $14,959,365 2,582
GEORGIA 8,176 $9,074,164 1,286
GUAM 8 $20,436 3
HAWAII 213 $160,563 26
IDAHO 431 $474,678 84
ILLINOIS 9,126 $13,574,040 1,959
INDIANA 3,768 $3,708,440 517
IOWA 1,993 $3,043,548 406
KANSAS 1,815 $2,526,574 367
KENTUCKY 2,903 $3,035,654 418
LOUISIANA 4,067 $4,538,441 647
MAINE 255 $199,706 42
MARYLAND 4,321 $5,525,551 791
MASSACHUSETTS 4,494 $5,361,035 757
MICHIGAN 7,331 $7,927,704 1,265
MINNESOTA 2,063 $2,623,577 376
MISSISSIPPI 3,571 $3,490,917 493
MISSOURI 3,714 $3,981,271 579
MONTANA 370 $203,848 42
NEBRASKA 925 $1,662,347 227
NEVADA 1,855 $1,511,385 270
NEW HAMPSHIRE 511 $590,704 95
NEW JERSEY 9,482 $13,037,554 1,825
NEW MEXICO 1,192 $860,054 157
NEW YORK 20,431 $31,103,630 4,347
NORTH CAROLINA 6,388 $10,265,947 1,536
NORTH DAKOTA 543 $576,291 75
OHIO 7,464 $13,634,662 2,095
OKLAHOMA 3,073 $4,293,985 626
OREGON 628 $779,900 155
PENNSYLVANIA 10,046 $14,414,099 2,174
PUERTO RICO 909 $110,189 29
RHODE ISLAND 962 $1,957,193 275
SOUTH CAROLINA 4,521 $4,990,636 692
SOUTH DAKOTA 567 $939,870 122
TENNESSEE 5,383 $5,868,190 819
TEXAS 19,643 $29,403,331 4,385
UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS 19 $21,549 3
UTAH 813 $1,207,861 174
VERMONT 110 $140,721 24
VIRGINIA 4,751 $6,014,766 887
WASHINGTON 1,384 $1,264,586 218
WEST VIRGINIA 1,112 $1,118,971 151
WISCONSIN 3,593 $3,205,225 459
WYOMING 187 $352.133 60

* Funeral assistance data can/will change daily; the information reflects data as of 8 a.m. ET today.

Applicants may apply by calling 844-684-6333 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Multilingual services are available. Applicants who use a relay service, such as a videophone, Innocaption or CapTel, should provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to them for that service so that agency representatives are able to contact them. Please note, phone calls from FEMA may come from an unidentified number. Those calling the COVID-19 funeral assistance helpline wait less than seven seconds before being routed to a live agent after listening to a recorded message. And once the applicant submits all required documentation, FEMA is able to make an eligibility determination in less than 30 days.

Additional information about COVID-19 funeral assistance, including frequently asked questions, is available on FEMA.gov.