Current Conditions

PHILADELPHIA – The COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly difficult for all Americans, but even more so for those who lost a loved one to the virus. The unexpected and sometimes sudden loss of a loved one has placed a heavy burden on many thousands of Americans.

FEMA is offering help through the establishment of the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program. This new program allows eligible funeral expenses to be reimbursed directly to the loved ones who incurred those expenses. Individuals who apply may receive up to $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 for multiple funerals that occurred within the same state or territory. The sooner people with eligible expenses begin their application, the sooner they can receive their reimbursement. “When people think of FEMA’s role in the COVID-19 response, they often think of the work we have done to get shots in arms. That is an important and ongoing mission, but there are other ways we offer support,” said FEMA Region 3 Acting Regional Administrator Janice Barlow. “Our hearts go out to those grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. We hope that, through our Funeral Assistance Program, FEMA can help ease some of that burden.”

One of the most important steps for individuals interested in applying is to first understand the program’s eligibility and documentation requirements.

To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet these conditions:

• The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
• The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
• The person applying on behalf of the deceased individual must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.

If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, we encourage you to gather the following documentation and have it ready when you start your application:

• An official death certificate that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
• Funeral expenses documents (receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that includes the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened.
• Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward funeral costs. We are not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.

The program does reimburse eligible expenses; however, patience is encouraged upon submitting your application. It can take several weeks from the time all the necessary documentation has been collected for the funds to be disbursed. The best way to reduce the wait and speed up the process is to be prepared with all of the required paperwork when you start the process. After you apply, stay tuned for any communications from FEMA as there may be follow-up questions needed to continue processing the application.

How to Apply

Call this dedicated toll-free phone number to get a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance application completed with help from FEMA's representatives. Multilingual services will be available.

COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line Number

Applications began on April 12, 2021 844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585

Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

If you use a relay service, such as your videophone, Innocaption or CapTel, please provide your specific number assigned to that service. It is important that FEMA is able to contact you, and you should be aware phone calls from FEMA may come from an unidentified number.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. We serve the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

PHILADELPHIA – The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania released a new mobile tool, https://pafloodrisk.psu.edu/home/index.html, that provides the latest flood mapping information. The new mapping tool, which can be used from a desktop computer, cell phone, or other mobile device, brings together data from FEMA and across the Commonwealth into one consolidated application.

“This is a great way for the residents of Pennsylvania to learn about their flood risk in an easy-to-access application”, said Maurie Kelly, Director of Informatics at Penn State’s Institutes of Energy and the Environment. “Users just type in their address and can immediately see information about their location, print a report, or get a quick 3D visualization of how a flood will impact their home.”

The PA Flood Risk Tool is designed to provide floodplain managers, insurance agents, developers, real estate agents, local planners and citizens with a clear picture of flood risk for a specific area or property. With the onset of Hurricane Season this June, the tool will help the Commonwealth’s residents be prepared for tropical storms and heavy summer rains that have historically caused significant floods in Pennsylvania.

“This new flood risk tool will be a valuable resource in addressing the Commonwealth’s top natural hazard,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “The team worked diligently to develop a resource that incorporates multiple flood risk products and datasets into one tool that is straightforward to use and provides a lot of information for emergency managers, county and local officials and citizens alike.”

The tool provides access to the best available flood information in both a Public and Expert mode including:

• Flood Risk Summary – key flood risk information pops up in an easy to read table when you search your property. 
• Personalized Flood Risk Report –users can download and print a map with flood risk information unique to their properties.
• Flood Depth Visualizations - show residents and businesses how deep water can be in a flood.
• Cross sections for Approximate Flood Zones- help local communities regulate floodplain development.
• Preliminary Flood Zones- provide the latest information for maps being updated while in draft.

To see the PA Flood Risk Tool for yourself, navigate to https://pafloodrisk.psu.edu/home/index.html and type your address in the search bar or click the launch tool button to begin exploring the map.

The tool was developed by Penn State University in partnership with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and funded with a Cooperating Technical Partners grant from FEMA. “We’re happy that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania leveraged this funding to build a tool that will help local floodplain administrators across the Commonwealth.  The tool gives access to up-to-date information so local officials can more easily and consistently manage development in the floodplain.” said Janice Barlow, FEMA Region 3 Acting Regional Administrator. “It’s even better that the public can also easily learn from the tool.

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CHARLESTON - If you are a West Virginia resident in Cabell, Kanawha, Mingo, or Wayne counties and experienced damage from the Feb. 27 – March 4, 2021 flooding, you should apply for FEMA Assistance.

Assistance from FEMA may help you and members of your household take care of necessary expenses and serious needs that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of assistance.

Housing Assistance may provide financial or direct assistance, including:

• Rental Assistance: Financial assistance to rent temporary housing while disaster-caused repairs are made to your primary residence, or while transitioning to permanent housing.
• Lodging Expense Reimbursement: Financial assistance reimbursement for short-term lodging expenses.
• Home Repair: Financial assistance for homeowners to repair uninsured home damage caused by the disaster. The assistance is intended to repair the home to a safe, sanitary and functioning living condition.

There are three ways to apply for Disaster Aid:

• Call 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585
• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
• By downloading the FEMA app

Affected residents in Cabell, Kanawha, Mingo, or Wayne counties are urged to apply by July 19, 2021.

For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4605. Learn more about Disaster Assistance at  www.disasterassistance.gov. For guidance about the Disaster Assistance application process at www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/program#apply.

There are three ways for residents of Cabell, Kanawha, Mingo and Wayne counties who experienced damage in the Feb. 27-March 4, 2021 flooding to apply for FEMA Assistance. Housing Assistance includes Rental Assistance, Lodging Expense Reimbursement and Home Repair Assistance. (FEMA graphic)