News and Events

On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, FEMA announced that it would start providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses that have incurred after January 20, 2020 under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021. Hughes Family Tribute Center’s owners and managers, DeWayne and Stephanie Hughes are undertaking a voluntary training to learn more about FEMA’s financial assistance stipulations, how families can apply for the financial assistance, and how to best assist families as well as our community who have questions in regard to FEMA’s financial assistance.

We will continue to post information as it comes in and as we learn about it, but here is some of the basic information regarding the FEMA financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses:

• The funeral must have been for a loved one who passed away after January 20, 2020 AND has COVID-19 stated on their death certificate as a cause of death.
  • The death certificate can be amended to add COVID-19 as a cause of death if applicable; however, the family would need to contact the doctor who signed the death certificate to begin the amendment.
• The death must have occurred in the United States (including U.S. territories).
• The financial assistance will cover up to $9,000 to reimburse for funeral expenses.
• The deceased does not need to have had a Social Security Number.
• The applicant requesting financial assistance DOES need to have a Social Security Number.
• The FEMA financial assistance will not be provided for families that used a pre-funded funeral contract or funeral insurance to cover the funeral expenses or donations to cover the funeral expenses (this includes GoFundMe and more).
• FEMA will begin accepting applications in April 2021.
• Certain documents will be needed to complete the application such as:
  • An official death certificate,
  • Funeral expense documents (like a Statement of Funeral Goods & Services, receipts, etc.), and
    • These documents MUST have the applicant’s name on it, the deceased’s name on it, the amount of the funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened.
  • Proof of funds received from other sources specifically towards funeral costs.
    • “[FEMA is] not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.” (FEMA, “COVID-19 Funeral Assistance”)
• The FEMA financial assistance can apply to families who used life insurance to cover funeral costs.
• If a family did pay for a funeral via a pre-funded funeral contract or funeral insurance, FEMA can provide financial assistance towards items not covered by the pre-funded funeral contract or funeral insurance (i.e.- a headstone, an upgrade in merchandise, or other goods or service).
• FEMA has a page on their website that relates information about their financial assistance for COVID-19 related deaths (https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance)

As we find out more in the next few weeks, we will do our best to keep our families and our community up to date on information about FEMA’s financial assistance to families who had loved ones pass away from COVID-19.

Please keep following this page for more information as well as “Like” our Facebook page to stay on top of information as it comes (https://www.facebook.com/HughesFTC).

If you have any questions in regard to FEMA’s financial assistance, please email your questions to info@hughesftc.com, and a funeral director will assist you as soon as they can.

FEMA. “COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.” COVID-19 Funeral Assistance | FEMA.gov, 24 Mar. 2021, www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.