What To Do If You Or Your Business Has Been Scammed
If youre the victim of a scam, there are a few steps youll want to take immediately.
Once youve provided that information, youll want to wait for further instructions or updates from the places where youve filed complaints. In the meantime, continue tracking your personal information and credit reports so you can catch any irregular activity right away.
General Conditions Of Eligibility
Revision 07-1 Effective May 1, 2007
To be eligible for ONA an applicant must fulfill all of the following conditions, in addition to any category-specific conditions.
An applicant must:
- Have no, or insufficient, insurance coverage.
- File an insurance claim, if applicable, and find that the settlement does not meet his or her other needs, related necessary expenses and serious needs.
- Have the damages occur in the declared area and be directly associated with the disaster type with approved cause of damage.
- Apply to all required government disaster programs for assistance and be determined unqualified for such assistance, or demonstrate that the assistance received does not satisfy the total necessary expense or serious need.
- Certify to refund that part of the ONA award for which assistance from other means is received, or which is not spent on disaster-related serious needs and necessary expenses. This is verified when the applicant signs the registration form .
- Meet the citizenship requirements set forth in 44 CFR. This is verified when the applicant signs the registration form .
Its Eric From The Department Of Government With Your Free Money
MANCHESTER, NH Maybe this has happened to you: Youre sitting at home thinking about Christmas, or bills, or work-related stuff, when your cell phone rings.
You love to answer your cell phone because its usually someone you like, someone who has your number its one of the perks of abandoning your landline in an age of wireless technology.
But you see No Caller ID flashing on the incoming call screen. You hesitate to answer, but then you think back to other calls that register that way often local police or other government agencies which have blocked incoming numbers.
You think about your loved ones, and hope nobodys in trouble.
So you answer.
On the other end, a person with a heavy accent introduces himself as Ahc Tomxyx and you hear something about congratulations and government grant money.
I have received many of these calls lately. Sometimes the person on the other end is from the IRS and warning me that Im going to be very sorry if I dont respond to their calls.
But on Dec. 6, I learned that it was Eric Thomas of the U.S. Government who was congratulating me as one of only 1,500 people selected to receive a $9,000 government grant because of my good record.
I resisted the urge to hang up on Eric.
Oh-kaaaaay? I said.
Eric had me at gambling and drinking.
But I already knew he was up to no good, so I started taking notes.
I had questions.
What department of the government did you say was giving away this money? I asked.
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How Much Money Can You Get Reimbursed
FEMA’s website says it will reimburse families up to $9,000 for COVID-related funeral and burial costs. It isn’t yet clear what factors will determine who is able to receive the full amount, or a portion of the available funds.
In 2019, the median national cost of a funeral with a viewing and a burial was $7,640, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. If a vault or casket is included , the median cost went up to $9,135. And that doesn’t take into account cemetery, monument or headstone costs — or miscellaneous cash-advance charges, such as flowers or an obituary fee — the NFDA noted.
Specific Reasons For Denial
- The applicant did not comply with vehicle registration, inspection, licensing, or liability insurance requirements before the disaster or failed to provide the vehicle registration at the time of the disaster.
- The damage to the vehicle was cosmetic only. Cosmetic damage is defined as damage that does not affect the drivability or safety of the vehicle in any way .
- The applicant or other household member is listed as an excluded driver on the insurance policy.
- The mechanic estimate provided does not indicate disaster-related damages to the vehicle and/or the estimate could not be verified.
- The applicant is referred to SBA and failed to apply, withdrew his/her application or refused part or the entire loan.
- The applicant has a usable vehicle that meets his or her needs for transportation.
- The applicant has comprehensive insurance that meets his essential needs.
- The applicant lives in a Coastal Barrier Resource System area.
- The applicant is requesting assistance with an insurance deductible.
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Clean And Removal Assistance
Revision 21-1 Effective August 10, 2021
Texas may provide a limited amount of financial assistance to homeowners with disaster-caused real property damage who do not qualify for home repair assistance because the damage did not render the home uninhabitable. CRA is intended to ensure contamination from floodwaters is addressed in a timely manner to prevent additional losses and potential health and safety concerns. Individual property owners will be responsible for performing or contracting for services to remove contaminants and disinfect surface areas of their homes that have been affected by floodwater.
Answers To Frequently Asked Questions
No online applications will be accepted.
When you call, it will take about 20 minutes to apply, and you can ask questions and receive the help you need with the application process.
Once you have applied for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance and received your FEMA application number, you may submit required documentation to FEMA in several ways:
- Upload documents to your DisasterAssistance.gov account
- Fax to: 855-261-3452
- Mail to: P.O. BOX 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782
You may qualify if:
- You are a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses on or after Jan. 20, 2020, and
- The funeral expenses were for an individual whose death in the United States, including the U.S. territories or the District of Columbia, may have been caused by, or was likely the result of, COVID-19.
- States, tribes, territories, businesses, organizations, and other entities are not eligible for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.
- A minor child applying on behalf of an adult who is not a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien cannot apply for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.
- However, a minor child who is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien, can apply if they directly incurred funeral expenses for a COVID-19-related death and the documentation supports that assertion.
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Search And Apply For Government Grants
To search or apply for grants, use the free, official website, Grants.gov. Commercial sites may charge a fee for grant information or application forms. Grants.gov centralizes information from more than 1,000 government grant programs. It’s designed to help states and organizations find and apply for grants.
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Email notifications – Sign up to be notified by email about new grant opportunities.
Federal Program Offers Cash To Cover Covid
Families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 can apply for reimbursement from the federal government for up to $9,000 to cover the cost of funeral expenses
FDA approves second COVID-19 pill
BOSTON — When Wanda Olsons son-in-law died in March after contracting COVID-19, she and her daughter had to grapple with more than just their sudden grief. They had to come up with money for a cremation.
Even without a funeral, the bill came to nearly $2,000, a hefty sum that Olson initially covered. She and her daughter then learned of a federal program that reimburses families up to $9,000 for funeral costs for loved ones who died of COVID-19.
Olson’s daughter submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, received a deposit by June and was able to reimburse her mother the $1,974.
Had this not been available, we would have been paying the money ourselves, said Olson, 80, of Villa Rica, Georgia. There wasnt any red tape. This was a very easy, well-handled process.
As of Dec. 6, about 226,000 people had shared in the nearly $1.5 billion that FEMA has spent on funeral costs that occurred after Jan. 20, 2020, the date of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. With the nation’s coronavirus death toll topping 800,000, its clear that many families who are eligible for reimbursement have yet to take advantage of the funeral benefit.
He could never overcome it, she said.
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Great News You Are Eligible To Receive A Government Grant
The government does not contact individuals to award grants for which there has been no application. An individual who makes this claim is not from the government and could be trying to collect private personal data from you, such as your Social Security number, bank account number or other such information.
There’s No Fourth Stimulus Check But A More Obscure Covid Benefit Covers $9000 For A Funeral
The nations massive pandemic rescue plan includes one kind of funding that gets less attention: a funeral assistance program offering families of COVID victims up to $9,000 to cover burial costs.
Part of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief legislation that President Joe Biden signed in March, the funeral expenses program extends much-needed help to families who lost wages in the pandemic or who are trying to recover from debt. That said, there’s no income limit to apply.
Heres more on who is eligible for the funeral help and how you get it.
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Search Our Full Hvac Rebates Database
On this page, youll find general information about rebates currently available in different regions across Canada.
However, if youd like to access our full searchable database with detailed info on each rebate, including eligibility criteria, rebates for a variety of product types, and where to apply, you can access our database by creating a free FurnacePrices.ca account.
Otherwise, continue reading below for an overview of available HVAC government rebates by province and region
How To Correct A Death Certificate
Any corrections to the medical portion of a death certificate must be started by the Medical Certifier who completed the original death certificate. They must provide the cause of death based on available medical records. The Medical Certifier is named on the death certificate.
To reach the Medical Certifier, you can contact the facility where the death occurred, or a funeral director if they filed the death certificate with state or local vital records authorities.
Note: The New York State Department of Health does not have the authority to alter information on a death certificate without a request from the Medical Certifier. The Department also cannot require a Medical certifier to correct a death certificate.
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Specific Conditions For Denial
An applicant may be denied for all medical or dental grant awards if any of the following conditions are true:
- Medical and or dental insurance meets the needs of the applicant.
- Prescription needs met by other assistance, such as Red Cross.
- Deferred dental maintenance or dentistry upgrades .
- Medical and/or dental are not directly related to the disaster. Examples:
- An applicants foot was run over in the parking lot while trying to buy groceries as all the food in his/her home had spoiled because of the disaster.
- An applicant submits an estimate from a dental provider showing that approximately seven teeth will need to be removed as well as a partial denture put in. ONA called the dental provider to verify the cause of damage to which the dental office confirmed the teeth would need to be pulled due to decay and is not required to fit the new partial. ONA will not cover the expense of having seven teeth removed as it was not caused by the disaster.
Revision 20-1 Effective June 1, 2020
Unlike most forms of IHP assistance, an applicant seeking funeral assistance does not need to live in a presidentially declared disaster area to be considered for assistance.
The types of disaster-related funeral expenses for which assistance may be provided per death are:
The following expenses are eligible for reinterment:
Considerations For Vehicles Registered To A Non
If the vehicle meets the requirement of liability insurance and is registered to a non-household member, verify if there is information within the file indicating the documented owner gave the vehicle to the applicant and the applicant is responsible for all maintenance, upkeep, fees, etc.
Examples Related to Vehicle Repair and Replacement: The following examples demonstrate that the lump sum payment method does not consider the value of the vehicle or any outstanding loans on the vehicle. The applicant would receive $550 for repairs based solely on the FEMA inspector’s determination that the vehicle is need of repair.
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What Funeral Expenses Will Fema Reimburse
The program will reimburse expenses for funeral services such as:
- Transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual
- Transfer of remains
- Costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates
- Additional expenses mandated by any applicable local or state government laws or ordinances
Here Are Five Ways To Spot A Grant Scam:
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Can I Get Reimbursed For More Than One Family Member
If you were responsible for funeral expenses for more than one family member whose death was attributed to COVID-19, you can apply to receive assistance for multiple deceased individuals, according to FEMA. Reimbursement is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application per state, territory or the District of Columbia.
Has Fema Ever Done Something Like This Before
Yes. Under the Stafford Act, FEMA can offer help with funeral costs if the deaths were caused by a presidentially declared disaster. This was the case after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. After three hurricanes hit Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico in 2017, FEMA paid about $2.6 million in response to 976 approved applications for related funeral expenses, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, is on a far larger scale than anything FEMA has provided assistance for in the past, a spokesperson told CBS in December. The agency had then already provided more than $56.2 billion in the fight against the pandemic, the spokesperson said.
“We understand the financial and emotional turmoil COVID-19 has brought to our nation, and we are committed to bringing funeral assistance to the American people as quickly as possible,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “We are working to streamline the delivery of this program to make it easier for people who lost loved ones to apply for and receive assistance. It’s taking some time to develop the right process and tools to make this program easy, efficient and effective for everyone.”
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How They Try To Trick You
Whether you see them in your local paper or a national magazine, or receive direct phone callscon artists generally follow a familiar script to gain access to your bank accounts or to get you to make unnecessary one-time payments to them.
Look and listen for these tell-tale lines:
- “This grant/scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”
- “You can’t get this information anywhere else.”
- “I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this grant/scholarship.”
- “We’ll do all the work. You just pay a processing fee.”
- “The grant/scholarship will just cost you a one-time fee.”
- “You’ve been selected” or “you are eligible” to receive a grant/scholarship.
People who run scams often claim to provide help and sometimes claim to be “federal government” officialsdont be fooled by these scams that request money from you. It is illegal to ask you to pay to apply for or to increase your odds of being awarded a federal grant.
Be careful to watch for scammers that falsely use HHS symbols and language to trick you and others. Fraudsters in the past have used the words and letters of HHS programs to give the false impression that their costly seminars or pay-per-use grant application tools are approved, endorsed, or authorized by HHS. HHS never endorses or uses private companies or individuals for these purposes.
