08 Apr Covid Victims To Get $9000 Under Massive Funeral Assistance Program- Biden Administration
A funeral assistance program, which is the largest initiative introduced by the federal government, will launch next week. Intended to provide $9000 to each American who died of COVID-19, this program is open to all families, regardless of income or age.
Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has offered burial costs before, the amount was never sufficient to cover up all the expenses. However, the 2020 pandemic has deeply affected masses and more than 557,000 Americans have died from this deadly virus.
The ultimate cost has not been revealed yet but, according to several sources, the cost will easily reach billions of dollars. To answer all the queries regarding this program, FEMA has set up a call center and a toll-free hotline — 1-844-684-6333. This hotline will be responsible for clarifying any doubts and accepting applications, starting April 12, Monday.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been pushing to help families who suffered a toll during COVID-19 since last year. Schumer said that people were losing their jobs and without enough money to eat, at the same time that they needed to pay for funerals of loved ones, which was outrageous.
Ocasio-Cortez further added that the pandemic had affected the already marginalized communities of Latina and Black in the worst way.
While this program might come as a massive help for thousands of Americans, Bryant High-tower, a spokesman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said that this program would be challenging to administer. Like, it would be difficult to figure out if a specific bill was paid through burial insurance or not. Moreover, it has also opened gates for many fraudulent companies to earn extra cash.
According to FEMA, to stand eligible for this program, an applicant must be an American citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified foreigner who paid for funeral expenses after January 20, 2020. Moreover, he/she must submit the death certificate that proves that the death occurred in the United States and was due to the Corona Virus.
SOURCE- WASHINGTON POST
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