Financial assistance available for COVID funerals

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, state of Illinois and Cook County are reminding residents that financial assistance is available to those who have incurred COVID-19 related funeral expenses since Jan. 20, 2020.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 21,000 Illinois families eligible for the assistance. To date, more than $10.4 million has been approved for more than 1,500 approved applicants in the state.

Residents can apply by calling (844) 684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The process takes approximately 20 minutes and multilingual services are available.

To be eligible, the death must have occurred in the U.S.; the death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19; and the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, noncitizen national or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020. There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, noncitizen national or qualified alien.

Reimbursement is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per funeral, paid via check or direct deposit.

For more information about the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program, visit www.fema.gov/.