FEMA reimbursing families for COVID funeral expanses
Paul Lesako admits the obvious. “I’m in the death business in a sense,” said the man who owns and operates a Carmichaels funeral home.
He was accustomed to the grim undertakings of his profession – but not the grim ramifications of COVID-19.
“I handled 14 cases through last year,” Lesako said, referring to people who succumbed to the coronavirus. Some had relocated out of state and some had remained local.
“It’s been tough for me mentally. I’d say its been brutal. You lose people you’ve known for decades, who may have been older but were in good health, who succumbed to (the coronavirus).”
The owner of Paul M. Lesako Funeral Home Inc. is acutely aware of the tolls COVID has inflicted on those who lost relatives to the virus. That’s why he applauds a new program through which the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing financial relief – and welcome relief – to families of those who died from the disease.
FEMA is reimbursing families up to $9,000 per burial, and a maximum of $35,000 if multiple relatives died from COVID. Only a family member who paid funeral expenses can apply for the program, by calling the dedicated, toll-free phone number 844-684-6333. FEMA representatives will help that individual complete the application.
The agency began taking applications on April 12. Funeral directors who have dealt with COVID victims have been notifying relatives of the possible reimbursements.
Paying funeral expenses is not the only requirement for applicants. Each must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or a qualified alien. The deceased must have died in the United States or in a U.S. territory – but did not have to be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien.
An official death certificate and documents detailing fully paid funeral expenses are needed. (The certificate, according to the FEMA website, must attribute the death “directly or indirectly to COVID-19” and say where the death occurred.) Expenses must have been incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.
Eligible applicants will receive a check by mail or funds by direct deposit, depending on choice.
FEMA got about $52 billion for the funeral/burial program, combined, through the federal relief deals Congress approved in December and March.
“This helps families who, through no fault of their own, have lost loved ones,” Lesako said. “(The pandemic) has been tough (financially) on a lot of people.”
Michael Neal, owner of William G. Neal Funeral Homes Ltd., said “the benefits are welcomed.” But he added a caveat.
Neal said there may be an issue with physicians’ reporting of the cause of death on death certificates. Some may not list COVID-19, even though the deceased had contracted the disease.
“There are around 40 families we’ve served that could potentially qualify for this reimbursement,” Neal said. “In a year, 40 deaths attributed to COVID on death certificates is a lot.”
His recommendation to families who believe the death is virus-related? “They should apply.”
Philip Rishel, director of Richard R. Herod Funeral Home in Point Marion, said he learned about the program in an email from the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association. He learned more about it at a seminar on Tuesday, and like the the other directors interviewed for this article, he is still deciphering details.
“It’s wonderful the government is reaching out to people,” said Rishel, secretary/treasurer of the Southwestern PA Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, which serves Washington, Greene and Fayette counties.
“We’ve handled only a handful (of COVID-related deaths) here,” he said, adding that he has been calling the affected families, notifying them of the possible FEMA reimbursements.
He advises potential applicants to apply. “Don’t be intimidated by the process. It’s relatively easy to apply for this benefit if you’re entitled to it.”
Tim Marodi, owner of Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home in Bentleyville, said he has handled only one COVID-related death. He otherwise declined to comment.
And, as if there hasn’t been enough suffering over the past 13 months, the funeral assistance initiative – like many other multibillion-dollar federal programs launched during the pandemic – has been targeted by fraudsters trying to benefit from their wiliness.
FEMA was on guard, though, posting this alert on its website even before the program began:
“We have received reports of scammers reaching out to people offering to register them for funeral assistance. FEMA has not sent any such notifications and we do not contact people before they register for assistance.”