By Heidi de Marco - KHN
Jessica Rodríguez, director of Ingold Funeral Home in Fontana, California, helps families say goodbye to loved ones.
"We serve primarily Latino families, most of them second and third generation," says Rodríguez, "but we also have quite a few who are first generation and don't speak any English."
Rodriguez says most of them don't know they could access up to $ 9,000 from a federal program that helps with the costs of funeral services for COVID-19 victims.
But even when they hear about help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the process is daunting and the bureaucracy confusing.
Lack of knowledge of English prevents some families of deceased persons from applying for reimbursement.
Therefore, the funeral home offers help in Spanish.
Rodríguez herself is one of the applicants.
"My father died of COVID-19. That is why I wanted to promote the program," he
explains, "I know first-hand what it is like to have to get that kind of money if something unforeseen arises."
The contagious delta variant of the coronavirus already accounts for 10% of new infections in the US.
June 15, 202100: 30
Rodríguez says his funeral home, in a city where nearly 70% of its 215,000 residents are Latino, created an updated list since the start of the pandemic of all the coronavirus deaths whose families requested his services.
"In principle, the reason we created a list was to see the impact," he says, "but when FEMA first announced the funeral assistance program, we made it a point to call all the families that were on that list and let them know. ".
[FEMA initiates funeral assistance process for COVID-19 deaths]
As of June 14,
FEMA approved more than $ 278 million for more than 41,000 eligible applicants, with an average application amount of $ 6,756.
The agency said it does not consider ethnicity when determining eligibility, so it does not record that data.
Providing help to clients to get some of that money is important because California's Latinos suffered more deaths from coronavirus than any other race or ethnic group, and the Latino population has faced an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, and it has been tested in a lower percentage, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University.
Latinos are also much more likely than non-Hispanic whites to live in a home with an essential worker, who may not have had the luxury of protecting themselves at home during the harsh months of the pandemic.
"I have been in this profession for 35 years, and I have never seen a situation with such death," says Rafael Rodríguez, director of the Angel Bell Funeral Home, part of Dignity Memorial, in the city of Bell.
Rafael Rodríguez, director of the Angel Bell Funeral Home in Bell, California, says his office receives daily requests from clients for help with FEMA's funeral assistance program.
KHN
Rodríguez explains that the cost of an average funeral can be as much as $ 15,000, which is why the FEMA program offers financial relief for many clients.
But it is not easy to get the money.
Rodríguez and the funeral director, Norma Huerta, say they have been receiving calls daily from people confused about how to apply.
"They are humble people who do not have access to the Internet or know how to use a computer," said Huerta, "they trust me since I helped them with the funeral process. I could not refuse to help them."
[Find out here where, when and how you can get vaccinated where you live]
Although FEMA's helpline offers instructions in Spanish, getting the necessary documents and sending them by email or even fax has been challenging, Huerta says.
"I can spend three to four hours a day helping families with their applications," adding that the mere act of faxing a cover sheet is frustrating.
"I tell them it takes a while, but be patient and I'll help you do it," he
concludes.
Families call to request duplicate contracts, receipts, and clarification on death certificates.
The most difficult thing for some has been to show that the death of their relative was related to COVID-19, says Huerta.
New relationship between bats and coronavirus discovered in Wuhan
May 25, 202100: 24
If the death certificate does not specifically state this, they will not be eligible for assistance.
Death certificates can be modified to receive reimbursement, but that process is also complicated and time-consuming.
Manuela Gálvez, 61, of Sinaloa, Mexico, is one of the applicants Huerta helped.
His son, Luis Alberto Vásquez, died of coronavirus on April 22, 2020. Vásquez, 36, ran a cleaning team that disinfects assisted living facilities, which is where Gálvez believes his son was infected.
Gálvez says he learned about the FEMA checks from family members, but did not understand the process.
"Norma did me a great favor filling out that paperwork," explained Gálvez, "I wouldn't have been able to do it myself because I'm completely lost in what technology is."
Those who need help the most are the most disconnected, says Rafael Fernández de Castro, director of the Center for Mexico-United States Studies at the University of California-San Diego.
"Many times they are people who not only do not speak English, but sometimes they do not even speak Spanish well," says Medina, "like the people who come from Yucatan who speak a Mayan language."
Still have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine?
A doctor answers the most controversial questions
April 21, 202103: 21
Isaías Hernández, executive director of the Eastmont Community Center in Los Angeles, says that many of those who ask for his help feel overwhelmed by the process.
"Most have never buried a loved one, so they are shocked and still dealing with the trauma," Hernández explains, "just gathering the documents seems difficult to them."
Undocumented immigrants and those with temporary visas are not eligible for funeral aid from FEMA, even though activists like Hernández say they are the ones who kept the country afloat during the pandemic.
"They work in supermarkets, kindergartens and schools," he says, "they are the essential workers."
Hernández adds that
his office has received few calls from people asking about legal status.
It is not just about having access to technology, he says, but also about having access to the people who can support them.
"People in our community rely heavily on the younger generation, who can help them handle basic computing functions," he clarifies.
For Gálvez, that person was his late son, Luis Alberto.
"He was the one who had the most patience with me," she recalls.
Gálvez is awaiting a response from FEMA to find out if he is entitled to reimburse him for the $ 5,400 he spent on his son's funeral.
"If they can't give me the money, nothing happens," he says, "it's a help that they offer me and that I didn't expect to receive anyway. It's in God's hands."
This story was produced by
KHN
(Kaiser Health News), a national organization that provides in-depth coverage of health issues and is one of the three main operational programs of
KFF
(Kaiser Family Foundation). KHN publishes
California Healthline
, an editorially independent service of the
California Health Care Foundation
.