 Earlier this week, Democats accounced the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) will reimburse low-income families for COVID-related funeral and burial costs occuring in 2020. John P. Feeney Funeral Home is assisting Berks County residents with the application process that could allow them to receive up to $7,000 from FEMA. "We're happy to be available to help all Berks County families who suffered not only an unexpected loss due to COVID but also the unexpected financial difficulty that followed," said Mike Feeney, director of Feeney Funeral Home. "Even if a family did not use our funeral home to plan their services, they can still turn to us for assistance." FEMA's program is still in the early stages of development, and application procedures and eligibility will be announced later in 2021. The only requirement announced so far is the fund will only cover COVID-related funeral expenses incurred in the year 2020, between January 1 and December 31, but does not include expenses for funeral services in 2021. Families should start preparing documentation that is likely to be required for the application process. This includes expense documentation (receipts/invoices), death certificate, and ID/documentation proving your relation to the deceased. FEMA has covered funeral costs for victims of natural disasters before. In the past FEAM has covered the following expenses:
Money for the fund was included in a COVID-19 economic stimulus plan passed in December 2020. Those interested in receiving information and obtaining assistance with the FEMA application process once available can register below. Registering with Feeney Funeral Home is not a guarantee of acceptance in the FEMA program. For questions, Berks County residents can call Feeney Funeral Home at 610-372-4160. Please note that no further details are available at this time and the expected roll out of this program will happen later in 2021. Link to original story: https://www.newsweek.com/2-billion-allocated-help-families-pay-covid-related-funerals-democrats-announce-1567739 |