{"id":421384,"date":"2021-04-14T12:58:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T16:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=421384"},"modified":"2021-04-14T12:58:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T16:58:28","slug":"democrats-established-a-fund-so-family-of-deceased-covid-victims-could-receive-up-to-9000-what-could-go-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-established-a-fund-so-family-of-deceased-covid-victims-could-receive-up-to-9000-what-could-go-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Established A Fund So Family Of Deceased COVID Victims Could Receive Up To $9,000. What Could Go Wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-established-a-fund-so-family-of-deceased-covid-victims-could-receive-up-to-9000-what-could-go-wrong%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=421384&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-1862.jpeg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Monday announced a new program established with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program, which allows Americans to apply for financial assistance for COVID-related funeral costs, appears ripe for abuse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been on the phone trying to get as flexible and accommodating circumstances as possible,\u201d Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said during a press conference. \u201cSo here\u2019s what families need to know: your loved ones should have COVID on their death certificate, anywhere listed on their death certificate, either as their primary or contributing cause of death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the congresswoman, a number of Americans, especially in New York State, died in the early days of the pandemic and were unsure of the cause of death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026 we didn\u2019t know what was COVID and what wasn\u2019t, so there\u2019s options available here. One is that you can go back to the institution that issued the death certificate, the hospital, the physician, etc. and you can have your death certificate edited in retrospect, knowing what we know now about COVID,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo if your loved one\u2019s death certificate does not have COVID listed, you can have it put in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Schumer chimed in, saying COVID wasn\u2019t listed as a cause of death until September, which leaves a six month gap where deaths weren\u2019t attributed to the virus, adding that he and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez were working to \u201ccorrect\u201d that issue.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"7.5862068965517\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WATCH: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez breaks down how people can begin the process of receiving federal financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral costs. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hiFvaR3rC9\">https:\/\/t.co\/hiFvaR3rC9<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EWqXoOdahK\">pic.twitter.com\/EWqXoOdahK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABCPolitics\/status\/1381645416836562945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Under the Schumer-AOC program, those who are eligible can receive up to $9,000 in reimbursement for burying a loved one who died due to COVID. That\u2019s higher than the original $7,000 amount the pair was aiming for, Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n<p>FEMA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fema.gov\/disasters\/coronavirus\/economic\/funeral-assistance\">eligibility requirements<\/a> include:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><em>The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote readability=\"7\">\n<p><em>If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, we encourage you to keep and gather documentation. Types of information should include:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>An official death certificate&nbsp;<\/strong>that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.<br \/><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Funeral expenses documents<\/strong>&nbsp;(receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that includes the applicant\u2019s name, the deceased person\u2019s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Proof of funds received from other sources<\/strong>&nbsp;specifically for use toward funeral costs.&nbsp;We are not able to duplicate&nbsp;benefits received from&nbsp;burial or funeral insurance, financial&nbsp;assistance&nbsp;received from&nbsp;voluntary&nbsp;agencies, government agencies, or other sources.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While the plan might sound appealing on paper and could undoubtedly benefit some low-income Americans, there are also serious questions that need to be addressed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How COVID deaths are counted<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aamc.org\/news-insights\/how-are-covid-19-deaths-counted-it-s-complicated\">Association of American Medical Colleges <\/a>(AAMC), the way COVID deaths are counted is complex.<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"20.717616580311\">\n<p><em>Part I asks for the \u2018immediate cause\u2019 of death, followed by any \u201cconditions that led to the immediate cause,\u201d the CDC explains in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/nvss\/vsrg\/vsrg03-508.pdf\">guidelines for certifying COVID-19 fatalities<\/a>. For example: In some COVID-19 cases, the immediate cause is an affliction that arose from the disease, such as pneumonia, while COVID-19 gets listed under that as an underlying condition that led to death. In other words, COVID-19 caused the pneumonia.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Part II asks for conditions that did not set off medical events that led to death but contributed in some other way. Here, COVID-19 appears as sort of an accomplice to a fatality that was probably going to occur from something else (such as a preexisting, terminal disease), albeit later than if the person had not contracted COVID-19.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But the AAMC also warns that there are \u201cgray areas\u201d when determining a COVID death.<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"13\">\n<p><em>\u201cThere always have been cases where there are gray areas of death certification,\u201d says Aiken, immediate past president of the National Association of Medical Examiners.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>COVID-19 cases can paint lots of gray. In an instructional video for filling out death certificates in cases that might or might not be attributed to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises health professionals to \u201cuse your best clinical judgment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Relying on a medical practitioners\u2019 \u201cbest judgement\u201d is why some are skeptical. It\u2019s not definitive but based on an opinion. That opinion varies from physician to physician which means there\u2019s no way to apply standards equally across the board.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator at the time, didn\u2019t ease suspicions. Last April she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/watch-dr-birx-we-have-very-liberal-recording-of-covid-deaths-if-they-test-positive-we-are-counting-that\">stated<\/a> that anyone who had the virus at the time of their death, would be counted as part of the COVID death toll.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I think in this country we\u2019ve taken a very liberal approach to mortality and I think the reporting here has been pretty straightforward over the last five to six weeks. Prior to that when there wasn\u2019t testing in January and February, that\u2019s a very different situation and unknown. There are other countries that if you had a preexisting condition and let\u2019s say the virus caused you to go to the ICU and then have a heart or kidney problem, some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death,\u201d she explained in April of 2020. \u201cRight now we\u2019re still recording it and the great thing about having forms that come in and a form that has the ability to mark it as COVID-19 infection, the intent is right now that if someone dies with COVID-19 we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Birx\u2019s statement is why some have wondered what\u2019s being counted as a COVID death, especially when a person has pre-existing conditions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Amending death certificates<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez encouraged those with loved ones suspected of dying from COVID in the last year to have death certificates amended so they have \u201cCOVID\u201d listed as a primary or secondary cause of death. It makes sense, especially for those who passed away in February and March of 2020. It was early on in the pandemic and testing was scarce. There\u2019s a very real probability that people died from COVID but their death certificates indicate a separate pre-existing condition, like heart disease or pneumonia, as the cause of death. But that doesn\u2019t mean every single person who died since the start of the pandemic died from the virus. People still die from old age, cancer, heart attacks, etc. Those health issues didn\u2019t suddenly disappear because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>And that calls into question a bigger issue: how do we know that those death certificate amendments are accurate? And how do we know COVID is actually to blame?<\/p>\n<p>Say a person calls the physician and has the death certificate amended for their father who had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He was a smoker all his life and had difficulty breathing. He contracted COVID and eventually died when his lungs gave out. His lungs were shoddy to begin with before he contracted COVID. Is it fair to label his death as a result of COVID or COPD? What\u2019s the differentiation between dying <em>from&nbsp;<\/em>COVID and dying&nbsp;<em>with&nbsp;<\/em>COVID? And do a person\u2019s pre-existing conditions play into whether or not FEMA funding will be used for their funeral costs?<\/p>\n<p>Will there be some sort of guidance given to physicians, medical examiners, and coroners on how to determine whether or not someone\u2019s death certificate should be amended? Or will it be up to each individual\u2019s discretion?<\/p>\n<p>What happens when these very officials are inundated with death certificate amendment requests? Will they become so overwhelmed that automatically approve or deny them all?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a good chance that some people will see the reimbursement fund and go through the amendment process in order to qualify for assistance, even if their loved one may not have died from the virus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A continual fund<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another big question: funding. How long will this funding go on for? Theoretically, someone could have a \u201cCOVID death\u201d decades from now. If we apply Dr. Birx\u2019s apparent logic about someone being counted as a COVID death because they previously had the virus, should someone who recovered now and died in 10 years due to lung damage be considered a \u201cCOVID death.\u201d If that\u2019s the case, then, in theory, this FEMA funding would have to remain intact for an entire generation. That means the federal government would have to plan for \u201cCOVID funeral funding\u201d in every budget moving forward, until everyone that is alive now is gone.<\/p>\n<p>It also makes you wonder: will people demand these types of funds moving forward? It creates a slippery slope for the government to pay for burial costs for a number of health-related issues. Cancer. Diabetes. Heart disease. Where does it end?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>member<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Monday announced a new program established with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program, which allows Americans &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2312169,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-1862.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Democrats Established A Fund So Family Of Deceased COVID Victims Could Receive Up To $9,000. What Could Go Wrong?","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-421384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-1862.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Democrats Established A Fund So Family Of Deceased COVID Victims Could Receive Up To $9,000. 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