Office of the Mayor

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Mayor Baldelli-Hunt Details FEMA Funeral Reimbursement

to Assist Families up to $9K for COVID-19 Related Deaths
 

WOONSOCKET, R.I.: Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt today detailed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering financial assistance for eligible funeral expenses incurred for a death after January 20, 2020 that was officially attributed to COVID-19. Applicants are first required to call the FEMA Funeral Assistance Line at (844) 684-6333 weekdays from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM to start the application process and then will need to submit documents directly to FEMA regarding cause of death and the amount of eligible funeral expenses they incurred. Assistance is limited to $9,000 per burial and annual income is not considered in determining how much an applicant is awarded. There is currently no deadline from FEMA on when to initiate the application.

Mayor Baldelli-Hunt stated, "It has been hard enough for our Woonsocket residents to emotionally cope with the loss of a loved one due to the COVID-19 virus but adding the financial burden of a funeral has made that loss even more difficult to bear. This FEMA program will help ease some of their financial stress." The Mayor added, "I urge our residents who incurred funeral expenses due to a COVID-19 death to call FEMA for financial relief. Also, if any of our residents know of family or friends who paid for COVID-19 related funeral costs they should reach out and tell them about the FEMA Program."

The FEMA Funeral Assistance Program is fully described at https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.

All applications for this program must be initiated by phone and please be advised that FEMA will never contact you about this program without you reaching out to FEMA first. If you receive an unsolicited call or e-mail about this program claiming to be from FEMA, it is a scam. Death certificates needed for documenting a COVID-19 loss can be obtained from the Woonsocket City Clerk (401) 767-9249 or at the RI Department of Health Center for Vital Records (401) 222-5960 or at https://health.ri.gov.records/.

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