Federal funeral benefits for COVID-19 victims are available, but murky

• Only 11 states had claim rates of 50% or more for a federal COVID-19 funeral payment
• We know we need to reach more people, says FEMA spokeswoman
• FEMA benefit pays up to $9,000 for funeral of COVID-19 victimf

Minnesota resident George Campbell handled funeral arrangements in California in 2021 for his parents, who died the same day at age 96, after 75 years of marriage. Banned from traveling by COVID-19 restrictions, he did the work by computer and phone.

Then came the hardest part, complicated by difficulties with her parents’ estate – obtaining the $9,000 death benefit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the coronavirus deaths. It took about three months.