The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families, and we at Jerusalem Memorial Chapels are here to help families in any way we can. The Federal Government has initiated a program to help ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus. No matter what funeral home was used for the burial, we at JMC are here to help you through this process and can answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet these conditions:
- The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
- The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
- The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.
- There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.
Types of information needed for the application process:
- An official death certificate that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
- Funeral expenses documents (receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that includes the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened.
- Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward funeral costs. We are not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.
- FEMA is only accepting applications via phone call at this time. The phone number is 844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) and will be in operation from 9 am to 9 pm ET from Monday through Friday. Multilingual services will be available.
- Each family can receive up to $9,000 in assistance per funeral and a maximum of $35,000 total per application.
Again, no matter what funeral home was used, please reach out to us if you need assistance at all with this process. Call or text at 516-418-7000 or you can email us at info@graveside.com.
Adam Novak is a 2nd Generation Jewish Funeral Director & Founding Partner of Jerusalem Memorial Chapels. He can be reached any time (24/7) via phone/text at (516) 418-7000 or email adam@graveside.com
