Coronavirus
The Biden Administration Makes Coronavirus Funeral Reimbursement More Accessible
The Biden administration made it easier for many families to qualify for aid toward funeral costs after loosening rules for a Covid-era program.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the program, changed its funeral-assistance policy related to deaths that occurred in the early months of the pandemic.
Applicants for funeral assistance — up to $9,000 per deceased person and $35,500 per application — initially had to provide a death certificate listing Covid-19 as the cause of death.
But early on, death certificates may not have cited the virus. Testing wasn’t as widespread and the coronavirus wasn’t as well understood by the medical community, for example. Many families may have been denied as a result.
