FEMA issues $7.1M to Utah residents for COVID-related funeral expenses
(The Center Square) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has distributed $7.1 million to residents of Utah for funeral costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data.
The data showed out of 1,674 total applications from Utah residents, FEMA granted 1,015 awards for funeral expenses. The average award was about $7,035 per granted application.
More than 918,000 Utah residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 4,359 deaths have been reported as of Friday, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The funeral expense funds provide a maximum of $9,000 per deceased person and a maximum of $35,500 per application if there are multiple people included in the application, according to FEMA.
FEMA said it has issued $1.6 billion to more than 247,000 people in COVID-19 funeral assistance funds.
Relief funds were issued to assist in paying for funerals of people who died directly or indirectly from COVID-19. The funeral relief funds are applicable for deaths occurring after Jan. 20, 2020.
FEMA requires a death certificate listing COVID-19 as a direct or indirect cause for deaths from May 17, 2020, onward. For deaths between Jan. 20, 2020, and May 16, 2020, the death certificate must list COVID-19 as a direct or indirect cause for death or they may provide a signed statement from a “local medical examiner or coroner from the jurisdiction,” according to FEMA.
The relief funds can be used to pay for funeral services, cremation, headstones and caskets, among other expenses.
The FEMA COVID-19 funeral assistance funds were approved as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
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