Sen. Schumer, Rep. AOC announce FEMA to help pay for COVID-related funerals, burials

CORONA, Queens (WABC) -- U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) will help pay for COVID-related funeral and burial costs incurred by low-income families.

The money will be available by application only to New York families in need. Families can be reimbursed for funeral and burial costs up to $7,000.

Details of the new program were unveiled by the two lawmakers at a joint news conference Monday morning in Queens.

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The initiative is being funded through a $2 billion national pot of disaster funds that now includes $260 million specifically for New Yorkers.

The funding is aimed at alleviating some of the suffering undergone by families across New York, particularly in hard-hit communities of color, and low-income communities like Corona, Queens, which was the epicenter of the pandemic when in first hit.

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