COVID-19 funeral assistance still available in SC from feds

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency still has funds available to help families with funeral costs associated with COVID-19.

To apply for assistance or ask questions about existing applications should call 844-684-6333 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. FEMA has multilingual operators available to take calls. Callers who use a relay service, such as a videophone, video relay services, captioned telephone, or other services should provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to them for that service.

While COVID-19 funeral assistance can be reimbursed, applicants are not required to pay for funeral expenses prior to receiving assistance. Applicants must provide FEMA with a signed funeral home contract, invoice, or similar legal documentation that shows the COVID-19-related funeral expenses were incurred on or after Jan. 20, 2020.

FEMA has provided more than $42 million to more than 6,000 people in South Carolina who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

While there is no deadline to apply, applications that remain incomplete after a year will move to “suspended” status in April. The application can be reactivated without appeal by submitting the required documentation.

There are more than 1,600 applications in South Carolina awaiting additional documentation, FEMA says.