Monterey County picks up where FEMA left off in providing Covid-19 funeral funds.

Last year the Federal Emergency Management Agency launched a program to reimburse up to $9,000 of the cost of a funeral for a loved one lost to Covid-19, but it came with a catch. Namely the loved one applying had to be a U.S. citizen or in the country legally. In Monterey County, where undocumented farmworkers and their families suffered and died from Covid more than any other population group, that left needed funds just out of reach.

On July 12, 2022 the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to create the county’s own Funeral and Burial Assistance Program to offer grants to those not eligible for the FEMA grants. “We know there are a lot of workers that are not able to access the FEMA grants because of immigration status. This is for them,” says Daniel Gonzalez, an emergency services planner for the county. “Especially with the hardship that our community has gone through… Those hardest hit are those who have the least.”

The county’s program went into effect on Nov. 14, with approximately $300,000 available. It mirrors FEMA’s program, offering up to $9,000 for expenses incurred from Jan. 20, 2020 to the present. (The county will continue its program until funds are gone.) There is no proof of immigration status or citizenship required, but those applying – as well as the person who died – must be (or have been at the time of death) residents of Monterey County. Applicants must also be low-income, and the death certificate must list Covid as the cause of death.

The only caveat to the county program is that applicants must not qualify for the FEMA program, Gonzalez says. Anyone who does qualify for FEMA grants will be referred there.

The Monterey County of Emergency Services is taking applications from 8-11am, Monday through Wednesday, by phone at (831) 356-3137. More information about both the county and FEMA programs is available at bit.ly/MoCofuneralassist