I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6828 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to establish a fund to provide financial assistance for funeral expenses 
related to a deceased individual who died of COVID–19, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 12, 2020 
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. 
PRESSLEY, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. MENG, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. MOORE, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc-
ture 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency to establish a fund to provide financial 
assistance for funeral expenses related to a deceased 
individual who died of COVID–19, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID–19 Funeral 
Assistance Fund’’. 
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SEC. 2. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR FUNERAL EXPENSES 
RELATED TO COVID–19. 
(a) GENERAL RULE.—The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency shall provide finan-
cial assistance to individuals and funeral homes for funeral 
expenses related to a deceased individual who died— 
(1) of COVID–19; and 
(2) without sufficient insurance to pay for such 
funeral expenses. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—Not later than 30 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator shall establish a fund to be known as the 
‘‘COVID–19 Funeral Assistance Fund’’ (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Fund’’) for the purpose of providing fi-
nancial assistance under subsection (a). 
(c) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FOR FUNERAL EX-
PENSES.— 
(1) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(A) INDIVIDUALS.—To be eligible to re-
ceive financial assistance from the Fund, an in-
dividual shall— 
(i) submit to the Administrator an ap-
plication based on the criteria under para-
graph (2); and 
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(ii) demonstrate a common familial 
relationship to the deceased individual de-
scribed in subsection (a). 
(B) FUNERAL HOMES.—To be eligible to 
receive financial assistance from the Fund, a 
funeral home shall— 
(i) submit to the Administrator an ap-
plication based on the criteria under para-
graph (2); and 
(ii) demonstrate that the funeral home 
is licensed or registered as a business in a 
State. 
(C) NO CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT.—An 
individual described in subparagraph (A) may 
be— 
(i) a citizen of the United States; or 
(ii) a nonresident alien. 
(2) APPLICATION CRITERIA.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The application under 
paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
(i) Funeral expenses for a deceased 
individual described in subsection (a) that 
were incurred or will be incurred during 
the period beginning on January 21, 2020, 
and ending on December 31, 2021. 
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(ii) Proof of the date of death of the 
deceased individual. 
(iii) Proof that COVID–19 was the 
cause of death (directly or indirectly) of 
the deceased individual as determined by 
the Administrator based on a death certifi-
cate from an official of competent jurisdic-
tion. 
(iv) With respect to an individual, 
proof of the identity of the individual ap-
plying for assistance under this section. 
(v) With respect to a funeral home— 
(I) a certification that a deceased 
individual described in subsection (a) 
has not been claimed by any indi-
vidual in 7 days or more; and 
(II) proof that the funeral ex-
penses of the deceased individual de-
scribed in subclause (I) are commen-
surate with the funeral expenses of 
other deceased individuals who are not 
claimed at such funeral home or in 
the county of such funeral home. 
(B) ADDITIONAL
REQUIREMENT
IF
IN-
SURED.—If the deceased individual described in 
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subsection (a) had insurance not greater than 
$10,000, the application shall include proof of 
insurance with respect to the funeral expenses 
of the deceased individual. 
(C) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR BUR-
IAL TRUST.—If a contract exists (including a 
burial trust) for the purpose of paying the fu-
neral expenses in an amount not greater than 
$10,000 of a deceased individual described in 
subsection (a), the application shall include 
proof of such contract with respect to the fu-
neral expenses of the deceased individual. 
(3) DISTRIBUTION.—Beginning not later than 
30 days after the date of the enactment of this sec-
tion, the Administrator shall provide financial assist-
ance in accordance with the requirements under this 
section to an individual who submitted such applica-
tion. 
(4) LIMITATION.—The amount allowed for a 
payment to an individual pursuant to paragraph (1) 
shall not exceed $10,000 with respect to each de-
ceased individual described in subsection (a). 
(5) NO REQUIREMENT TO RESIDE IN A PRESI-
DENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTER AREA.—The Ad-
ministrator may not require an individual to reside 
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in a Presidentially declared disaster area to receive 
financial assistance pursuant to this section. 
(d) VERIFICATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS RE-
QUIREMENTS.—In carrying out this section, the Adminis-
trator shall— 
(1) verify the identity and address of an indi-
vidual that receives financial assistance under this 
section; 
(2) minimize the risk of making a duplicative 
payment for a fraudulent application under this sec-
tion; 
(3) recover any duplicate payment provided 
pursuant to this section; and 
(4) conduct an expedited and simplified review 
and appeal process for an individual whose applica-
tion for assistance under this section is denied. 
(e) FUNERAL ASSISTANCE DISREGARDED IN ADMIN-
ISTRATION
OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, financial assistance provided 
to an individual under this section shall not be taken into 
account as income, and shall not be taken into account 
as resources for a period of 12 months from receipt, for 
purposes of determining the eligibility of such individual 
for benefits or assistance (or the amount or extent of bene-
fits or assistance) under any Federal program or under 
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any State or local program financed in whole or in part 
with Federal funds. 
(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 1 year 
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
report on— 
(1) the number of applications received pursu-
ant to subsection (c); 
(2) the amount of financial assistance provided 
pursuant to this section for funeral expenses related 
to a deceased individual described in subsection (a); 
and 
(3) the recipients who received the financial as-
sistance described in paragraph (2) disaggregated by 
socioeconomic factors. 
(g) DIRECT
APPROPRIATION.—There is appro-
priated, out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, 
$500,000,000 to carry out this Act. 
(h) PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTER AREA 
DEFINED.— 
(1) PRESIDENTIALLY
DECLARED
DISASTER 
AREA.—The term ‘‘Presidentially declared disaster 
area’’ means an area for which the President has de-
clared a major disaster under section 401 of the 
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Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 
the several States or any territory or possession of 
the United States. 
Æ 
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