Those who lost a loved one to COVID-19 could still be eligible for federal financial assistance of up to $9,000 for funeral expenses incurred on or after Jan. 20, 2020.
According to figures provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the agency administering the program, more than $1.6 billion has been disbursed to more than 247,000 people nationally to assist with COVID-19-related funeral costs.
The money is part of the coronavirus relief packages signed into law.
Statewide, there have been 1,107 reported COVID-19-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. According to FEMA, 501 applications seeking reimbursement of funeral expenses have been received, with 274 given awards totaling $1,577,243, an average of $5,756 per award.
In Hawaii County, there have been 157 COVID-related deaths. According to FEMA, there have been 51 applicants from the county, with 27 declared eligible and $118,082 in funeral assistance provided, an average of $4,373 per award.
FEMA said none in Hawaii County have been disqualified, but 24 are still in the registration process.
Eligibility determinations are not driven by state or location, according to FEMA. Instead, they are based on when the applicant submits all required documentation.
Thus far, there have been no set deadlines to apply. But the only way to open an application is by telephone. The toll-free number is (844) 684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hawaii time, Monday through Friday. Multilingual services are available.
Those who call to apply are asked to have the following information handy: Social Security number, date of birth, email and mailing addresses, contact phone numbers and household annual gross income.
Although FEMA will ask for the household annual gross income, an instructional video on applying for the assistance says the program “is not income-dependent and your answer does not affect eligibility.”
That video is available at https://bit.ly/3nrXEeZ.
FEMA also will direct callers where to go online to upload documentation, including the official death certificate. Bills and invoices should be kept for documentation.
Mitchell Dodo, vice president and general manager of Dodo Mortuary in Hilo, said his company provides funeral-related services, but funeral homes do not handle applications or provide assistance to apply for the program.
“The family has to apply for this directly,” Dodo said. “We were never given any insider information from FEMA. All we can do is direct families to the FEMA website.”
For answers to frequently asked questions about FEMA’s funeral assistance program, go to www.fema.gov/disaster/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance/faq.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.