FEMA continues to provide COVID-19 funeral assistance even after the pandemic has ended.As of January 1, 2024, the program had paid out more than $3.15 billion to 499,096 decedents.Eligible applicants are eligible for up to $9,000 for each deceased individual. Critics argue that the program raises concerns about equity in treating various causes of death and government spending priorities.
FEMA’s Ongoing COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program
Even after the official pandemic emergency period ended on May 11, 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to provide financial assistance for COVID-19-related funerals. This program, which began on January 20, 2020, is expected to last until September 30, 2025, raising concerns about government resource allocation and spending priorities.
The COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program provides up to $9,000 for each deceased person, with a maximum of $35,000 per family. Cremation, interment, death certificates, and transportation are all eligible expenses. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or qualified non-citizens who incurred funeral expenses for COVID-19-related deaths in the United States on or after January 20, 2020.
COVID-19 relief update:@fema is offering financial relief in the form of funeral assistance to New Mexicans who have lost a loved one to this terrible pandemic.
Find more information about how to apply here: https://t.co/WgKhDmPbDY
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) May 10, 2021
Program Impact and Outreach Efforts
FEMA had received over 488,338 applications by January 1, 2024, and had disbursed more than $3.15 billion to 499,096 descendants. The organization has launched a new outreach campaign to raise awareness of the program, particularly in underserved communities.
“FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program has helped provide over 300,000 people with critical financial relief during a time of such unexpected, unimaginable and widespread loss,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
The outreach campaign will include targeted paid media in California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas, which have high COVID-related deaths but low application rates. FEMA is also holding media roundtables with community organizations in the African American, Hispanic and Latino, and Asian American Pacific Islander communities. The Funeral Assistance Helpline offers multilingual services in 76 languages.
Just in: Our COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program has provided more than $2 billion to over 300k applicants to help lessen the burden from the loss of a loved one.
We're still accepting applications with no deadline to apply: https://t.co/WU14Jdq9Pm
More: https://t.co/qxsLevIE5T pic.twitter.com/rsV1ckm1kF
— FEMA (@fema) March 15, 2022
Concerns and Criticisms
Despite the program’s apparent success in providing financial assistance to families affected by COVID-19 deaths, it has been criticized for a variety of reasons. Critics argue that continuing to fund COVID-19 funerals even after the pandemic has officially ended raises concerns about the equitable treatment of different causes of death and the efficient use of government resources.
There are also concerns about the strain this program puts on FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Fund, which could limit the agency’s ability to respond to other emergencies. As natural disasters and other crises continue, some worry that the prolonged focus on COVID-19 funeral assistance will divert resources away from other critical needs.
Furthermore, a study published in the National Library of Medicine identified potential inequities in funding distribution. According to the research, counties with a higher proportion of disabled people and minorities receive less funding per 100,000 residents, implying that FEMA’s equity efforts may not be fully realized among socially vulnerable groups.
Looking Ahead
As FEMA continues to provide COVID-19 funeral assistance, there is growing demand for greater transparency in the agency’s spending strategies, as well as a reassessment of funding priorities. The program’s extension until 2025, well past the end of the official pandemic emergency, has sparked debates about the long-term viability and fairness of targeted financial assistance.
While the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program has undoubtedly helped hundreds of thousands of bereaved families, its continued implementation raises important questions about government spending, disaster preparedness, and equitable resource allocation. As the country moves past the acute phase of the pandemic, policymakers and the general public will need to deal with these complex issues to ensure that FEMA can effectively fulfill its mission of assisting all Americans in times of crisis.
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