Retired Public Employees Council of WA Working to protect and enhance the pension and health care benefits of Washington retired state, county and local government employees
From SHIBA
COVID-19 funeral expense benefit and associated scams
If you lost a loved one to COVID-19, you may be eligible for a government program that pays for funeral expenses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pay up to $9,000 for funeral expenses for loved ones who died of COVID-19. Survivors can apply for benefits by contacting FEMA, toll-free at 1-844-684-6333. To find out if you qualify, read FEMA’s Funeral Assistance FAQs.
Unfortunately, FEMA reports scammers are contacting people and pretending to offer to register them for assistance. To avoid those scams, here are some tips:
- FEMA will not contact you until you call or apply for assistance.
- The government won’t ask you to pay anything to get this benefit.
- Don’t give your own or your deceased loved one’s personal or financial information to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.
If you think you got a scam call, hang up and report it to the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
