Biden's administration will pay for the funeral of those who died from COVID-19: how to request compensation - ForumDaily
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Biden's administration will pay for the funeral of the dead from COVID-19: how to request compensation

Next week, the Biden administration will launch a funeral assistance program that will provide up to $9000 to cover funeral costs for every American who dies of COVID-19, the largest program of its type ever offered by the federal government. Writes about this The Washington Post.

Photo: Shutterstock

The program is open to families, regardless of income, as long as they present documents and have not yet received similar benefits under another program.

FEMA has reimbursed burial costs before, but never offered such a large payment to so many people. For example, in 2017, FEMA paid $2,6 million to 976 people for funeral expenses for victims of three hurricanes—an average of $2664 per claimant.

But the huge toll from the coronavirus pandemic means that an unprecedented burial assistance program is being prepared. More than 557 Americans have died from COVID-000.

Because the number of people who will be eligible is unknown, there is also no final cost for the program—but it will easily be several billion dollars. FEMA is establishing a dedicated toll-free hotline—1-844-684-6333—and call center to answer questions about the program and accept applications beginning Monday, April 12.

“While we cannot change what happened, we renew our commitment to help with funerals and funeral expenses that many families did not expect,” said Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrats, have been pushing to help families pay for burials since last spring, when the coronavirus ravaged their state, and to deal with it. it took mobile morgues.

“Not being able to give a dignified funeral for someone you care about is outrageous,” Schumer said at the time. He added that people are losing their jobs and do not have enough money for food and at the same time they need to pay for the funeral of loved ones.

Ocasio-Cortez said the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Latino and Black Americans, is “destroying an already vulnerable community. The least we can do is help families bury their loved ones. This is the very essence, the fundamental measure of human dignity.”

Funeral aid was delayed during the worst crisis of last year, until then-President Donald Trump signed a nearly $ 19 trillion COVID-1 relief bill in his final weeks in office. Details were never released, but the maximum amount discussed at the time was $ 7000, and the funeral assistance program was to be capped at $ 2 billion.

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After President Biden took office and signed the $1,9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the program was expanded. Funeral assistance — even if it doubles the $2 billion in the measure signed by Trump — is still a tiny fraction of the $1,9 trillion in COVID-19 relief bill that nearly everyone opposed except for a handful of Republicans in Congress.

There are serious problems in administering this type of program. The FEMA program website already warns of potential scams: “We've received reports of scammers offering to enroll you in the funeral assistance program. FEMA has not sent any such notices and we do not contact people prior to registering for assistance. ”

According to FEMA, the applicant must be a “US citizen, non-citizen, or qualified alien” who paid for the funeral expenses after January 20, 2020. In addition, the applicant must present a death certificate stating that the death occurred in the United States from conditions that "could have been caused or likely were the result of COVID-19."

If any other assistance has already been received—from VA money or burial insurance or some other program—the assistance “will be reduced by the amount of other assistance the applicant received for the same expenses.”

During the pandemic, some people set up online GoFundMe accounts to raise funds, asking strangers to help pay for the funeral. Local governments, nonprofits and churches are trying to help families pay their funeral bills in many parts of the country, and many will welcome help from the federal government.

"This is a well-designed program that will benefit many people," said Bryant Hightower, a Georgia funeral director who is a spokesman for the National Funeral Directors Association. But he believes it will be difficult to manage. For example, when an applicant submits a funeral bill marked “paid,” it is difficult to know how FEMA officials will know whether burial insurance was used to pay.

Most of those eligible have already paid the costs and must provide receipts and other documentation of what was paid for coffins or urns, burial sites, gravestones, ceremony and other expenses detailed by FEMA.

David Harrington, a Kenyon College economist who has studied the funeral industry, said the program is likely to end up making more money for rich families than poor families, at least for funerals from January 2020 to the present. Those with more money probably opted for a more expensive coffin and a more expensive headstone, and they have receipts to prove that they spent $ 9000 or more, and so can get the most out of the benefits. And receipts from a low-income family who choose a no-nonsense funeral will fetch a smaller government check.

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Harrington said this could change after people learn about this benefit.

“There’s no reason to do a $1500 cremation if they’re going to pay $9000 for a funeral,” he noted.

In the first weeks of the pandemic, many victims, especially in nursing homes, were suspected of dying from COVID-19, but testing was limited. In many cases, overwhelmed doctors and nurses were more concerned with caring for the living rather than checking for the dead. Therefore, many death certificates do not mention COVID-19.

Now, in order to receive compensation, many families may need to look for doctors or coroners to amend death certificates. It won't be easy.

Saida Dunston, executive director of Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities in New York, said people were forced to make difficult decisions when choosing whether to pay for funerals, pay rent, or buy school supplies for their children. Burying a loved one meant cutting back on grocery purchases and even queuing for food.

“People have exhausted their savings or gone into debt to cover funeral costs,” Dunston said. “We have to try our best to reach the people who need it most to let them know it’s available.”

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