Families of those who died due to COVID-19 may be eligible for up to $9,000 in funeral assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help with funeral, burial, interment or cremation expenses.
Following the passage of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 by Congress, FEMA is authorized to provide financial assistance to families who incurred COVID-19-related funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020.
In Greenville County, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported 889 people have died from COVID-19 as of April 16, 2021. Families of those people may be eligible for this assistance.
“This has been an extraordinarily difficult year as hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country have unexpectedly had to plan a funeral when a loved one died of COVID-19,” said Robinson Funeral Home managing owner Chris Robinson. “While this assistance cannot take away their pain and grief, it will make a tremendous difference by enabling them to meaningfully honor the life of their loved one and lay them to rest with dignity.”
To apply: Call 844-684-6333 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.
Applicants will need the following documents:
- An official death certificate that attributes the death to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States.
- Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for funeral costs. Funeral assistance may not duplicate benefits received from sources including burial or funeral insurance or financial assistance received from voluntary agencies.
If multiple people contributed toward funeral expenses they should apply under a single application as applicant and co-applicants. Applicants may also apply for assistance for more than one individual who died.
For more information, visit fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.
