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SPANISH FORK — Families of people who died from COVID-19 will be eligible to receive federal assistance for funeral costs under a pandemic relief bill approved earlier this year.
The program will be handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. While exact program enrollment details are still vague, Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday urged families of individuals who died from COVID-19 to prepare documents for when the program begins an application process, likely next month.
Cox said FEMA officials had requested to make the announcement this week for that reason. He added the program was launched to "ease financial stress and burden" caused by COVID-19.
"I want to be clear: We don't have all of the details yet, but the reason we're announcing this now is so that families can start to get their paperwork together so when the details of the program are announced, you'll be ready to apply for that relief," the governor said.
The FEMA program will provide financial assistance for funeral-related expenses for COVID-19 deaths after Jan. 20, 2020, meaning that it's retroactive to when the virus was first detected in the U.S.
Reading off from a memo, Cox said anyone who has COVID-19-related funeral expenses is encouraged to make sure they have documentation that the death happened in the U.S., and the death certificate must indicate that COVID-19 was "an attributable cause of death."
"You will need an official death certificate as well as funeral expenses documents, and you can get those from the funeral home if you do not have those," he said. "And then proof of funds received from other sources to offset that."
According to FEMA, other important documentation includes the Social Security numbers and dates of birth of the applicant and the deceased individual, as well as the applicant's current mailing address and telephone number.
It also will ask about the location of where the deceased individual died, information about burial or funeral insurance policies, information about any assistance received — including donations, CARES Act grants and assistance from voluntary organizations — and a routing and account number for the applicant's checking or savings account if a direct deposit is requested.
FEMA's website also notes that if multiple individuals contributed toward funeral expenses, they would have to register with FEMA under the same application.
Per the government entity's website: "Assistance is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application per state, territory, or the District of Columbia."
It added that possible expenses that could be covered include but aren't limited to:
- Transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual
- Transfer of remains
- Casket or urn
- Burial plot or cremation niche
- Marker or headstone
- Clergy or officiant services
- Arrangement of the funeral ceremony
- Use of funeral home equipment or staff
- Cremation or interment costs
- Costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates
- Additional expenses mandated by any applicable local or state government laws or ordinances
COVID-19 has been attributed to the deaths of 2,088 Utahns since the pandemic reached the state last year, according to Utah Department of Health data updated Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists over 540,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 nationwide.
Cox said the state will provide more updates about the program's launch and how Utahns can apply for the program at future press briefings.
"For right now, you can begin gathering that documentation," he said.
