As MA surpasses 17,000 COVID-related deaths, FEMA announces it will help pay for funerals

BOSTON — Massachusetts hit another grim milestone as the state has now surpassed 17,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus. But now there might be one less thing grieving families will have to worry about when laying their loved one to rest.

With so many families having to come up with the sudden expenses for a funeral, FEMA is stepping in to help. The federal government announced it will reimburse up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for those who lost a loved one to COVID-19 after January 20 of 2020. FEMA will start accepting applications for funeral assistance on Monday.

To qualify for reimbursement, the death must have occurred in the US. The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19. The applicant must be a citizen or in the country legally, but there is no requirement for the person who died. Important documents will be needed, including an official death certificate and any funeral expense receipts.

FEMA is warning people of a fraud alert, saying it has received reports of scammers reaching out to people, offering to register them for funeral assistance. FEMA says it does not contact people prior to them registering for assistance.

For more information on how FEMA is assisting families with funeral expenses, you can visit here.

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