FEMA to help with funeral costs

Application process opens in April

Families whose loved ones died due to COVID-19 will soon be eligible to receive government reimbursement for funeral expenses, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced.

Some details have not been finalized, such as the amount that families will receive and what expenses will be covered, but FEMA said funerals that occurred after Jan. 20, 2020, will be eligible. The agency expects the reimbursements to begin in April.

The program was approved under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

It is consistent with FEMA’s mission of helping those hurt by emergencies, the agency said in a written statement.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families,” the statement read. “At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus.

“We are working with stakeholder groups to get their input on ways we can best provide this assistance, and to enlist their help with outreach to families and communities. Additional guidance is being finalized and will be released to potential applicants and community partners as soon as possible.”

Mark J. Hummel, owner of Cramp-Hummel Funeral Home, 934 Centre Ave., said he hasn’t received any word from FEMA yet about the reimbursement program and has questions about what costs will be covered. He said he’ll work with current and past customers to help them through the application process.

Hummel sees many families who have a tough time paying funeral bills, including some whose loved ones died of COVID, and said he’s sure the reimbursements will be welcome.

“As a city funeral home, we see families struggling all the time,” he said.

In the meantime, people who have COVID-19 funeral expenses are encouraged to keep and gather documentation, and FEMA is working to set up a dedicated toll-free phone number to apply for funeral assistance.

Those eligible for funeral assistance will receive a check by mail or funds by direct deposit depending on which option they choose when they apply for assistance.

Kathleen Ryan, executive director and counsel of the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors’ Association, said funeral costs can vary greatly, with a traditional service often $4,000 to $8,000 plus burial expenses, while cremations with no interment typically cost much less.

She’s curious to see how much reimbursement FEMA will provide, she said.

COVID is sometimes listed as a contributing cause on a death certificate, and Ryan said she understands FEMA’s statement to say that those funerals will also be covered, as well as those in which the virus was the primary cause of death.

Michael Feeney, owner of the John P. Feeney Funeral Home, 625 N. Fourth St., has handled the arrangements for 64 COVID victims.

He has been offering to submit reimbursement applications for his current and former customers and any others who come to him for assistance. He said he’s already received about 150 calls.

A number of families, though, have been skeptical that they’ll actually receive that money, he said.

“They said, ‘We’ll believe it when we see it,’ “he said.

BEN HASTY — MEDIANEWS GROUP Funeral director Mark J. Hummel at the Cramp-Hummel Funeral Home in Reading. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expecting to take applications for reimbursing for funeral expenses for COVID victims. Hummel says he will work families who will be seeking to determine what expenses qualify.