Latest news with #funeralassistance
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
City launches funeral assistance program for COFA families
The City and County of Honolulu on Tuesday launched a program to help the Micronesian community with funeral expenses due to COVID-19. The 'Ohana Memorial Support : COVID-19 COFA Funeral Assistance Program will provide $1.5 million in direct reimbursements of burial expenses to Compact of Free Association citizens living on Oahu. Under the Compacts of Free Association agreement, citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are allowed to live and work in the U.S. without visa requirements after military use of their lands in the Pacific. City officials said COFA migrants bore a disproportionate share of COVID-related deaths, but were excluded from receiving federal funeral assistance due to their citizenship status. 'This program is about doing right by the families who lost a loved one to COVID-19 and were unjustly excluded from federal assistance, ' said Mayor Rick Blangiardi in a news release. 'While no amount of funding can ever replace the lives lost, we hope this support demonstrates our deep commitment to caring for the most vulnerable in our community.' COFA residents were at higher risk of contracting COVID because many work in essential jobs, such as the service industry, with increased exposure to the virus. Many also suffer from underlying health conditions, lack of access to health care, and live in poverty and in multigenerational households, where it is more difficult to self-isolate. Before vaccines were available, Pacific Islanders, which include COFA migrant groups, represented 4 % of the population, but 25 % of COVID cases, according to data from the Hawaii Department of Health. Of all ethnic groups, Pacific islanders in Hawaii also experienced the highest per capita mortality rate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program up to $9, 000 to cover the costs for someone who died of COVID-19. COFA citizens, however, were not eligible to apply for the FEMA funds. Honolulu City Council member Esther Kia 'aina said she was heartened to see the city implementing the COVID death benefits program for the Micronesian community. 'As a matter of equity, I was pleased to advocate for this program during our, ' said Kia 'aina in the news release. 'It is only fair that they enjoy the same federal death benefits received by other residents impacted by the pandemic.' The Honolulu Office of Economic Revitalization is administering the program through a contract with, a nonprofit charity organization founded by a group of Micronesians. The group will reimburse burial expenses of up to $9, 000 for each household member who died due to COVID-19. Reimbursements for households that experienced multiple deaths in one family are capped at $35, 500 per application. To be eligible, applicants must prove a relationship to the deceased family member through official documents. The deceased family member must have resided on Oahu, with their death attributed to COVID-19 between Jan. 20, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2024. The funding will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. More information is available at. Community outreach
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
City launches new assistance program for COFA families
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The City and County of Honolulu are providing help to Micronesian families who lost loved ones to COVID-19. HFD outlines dangers of China Walls, Spitting Caves The Office of Economic Revitalization announced on June 3 the launch of the ʻOhana Memorial Support: COVID-19 COFA Funeral Assistance Program. The program seeks to provide $1.5 million in direct reimbursement of burial expenses to 'Compact of Free Association' residents on O'ahu. 'This program is about doing right by the families who lost a loved one to COVID-19 and were unjustly excluded from federal assistance,' said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. 'While no amount of funding can ever replace the lives lost, we hope this support demonstrates our deep commitment to caring for the most vulnerable in our community.' The program contractor, We Are Oceania, will reimburse burial expenses up to $9,000 for each household member who passed away due to reimbursement amount for households experiencing multiple deaths in one family is capped at $35,500 per application. We Are Oceania is providing both in-person and virtual support sessions for families requiring assistance: Weekly Virtual Community Sessions: Join Facebook livestreams for community-specific information sessions: Marshallese Community: Every Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Kosraean Community: Every Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pohnpeian Community: Every Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Chuukese Community: Every Friday, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In-Person Outreach Events in June 2025: Kosraean Church visits: June 15th at Kalihi Union Church (2214 N. King St.), 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Daily assistance at We Are Oceania Shim Hall (720 N King Street, Honolulu): 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding weekends and June 11) Marshallese Full Gospel Church: June 15 at Kalihi Union Church, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Chuukese Church: June 22 at Kalihi Union Church, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pohnpeian Church: June 29 at Central Union Church (1660 Beretania St.), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Community Leader Sessions: June 17 and 19 at Shim Hall Eligibility requirements are as follows: Immediate surviving family members of a COFA Citizen whose death was attributed to COVID-19 between January 20, 2020, and September 30, 2024 The deceased family member must have resided on O'ahu and must demonstrate COFA citizenship (FSM, RMI, or ROP). Applicants must prove a relationship to the deceased through official documents. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news For more information, visit the We Are Oceania website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
News.com.au
01-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Man claims ‘discrimination' after request for Greek Orthodox funeral for deceased 93yo father denied
A man who claimed he was subject to religious discrimination by the Queensland Government after they refused to pay for his deceased father's Greek Orthodox funeral says he was denied 'natural justice' when his case was thrown out. Angelos Angelopoulos' attempt to take the government to the state's civil tribunal was refused in 2022 after he complained he was subject to discrimination when told a grant of funding for a burial service for his father, Anastasios, would not cover the costs of a Greek Orthodox service required to help farewell the 93-year-old. After appealing the decision from the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), Mr Angelopoulos this week suffered an additional blow in court when this fresh attempt was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Brisbane. Anastasios died in hospital on June 23, 2018. His son sought financial assistance from the Palaszczuk-led Labor government under Queensland's Burials Assistance Act (BAA) as he could not afford to pay for the funeral service and burial at the time of Anastasios' passing. But the aid only covered the reopening of a pre-purchased burial plot, a graveside service, the funeral director's fee, a coffin and 'any required preparation of the body and transportation from the morgue to the burial site'. Angelos desired for his father to hold a Greek Orthodox funeral according to Anastasios' strong beliefs, but further financial assistance for this was refused. The Greek community and the Greek Orthodox Church stepped in to fund a church service, but it did not extend to the costs of the private viewing of Anastasios in an open coffin. It was not for another 20 weeks Mr Angelopoulos' father was buried in November 2018. In his submissions to the tribunal, he argued he was discriminated against over the requirement to bury his father 'without his complying with his father's and his own religious beliefs'. 'According to Mr Angelopoulos, a higher proportion of people who are not of Greek Orthodox faith would be able to comply with the term and bury family members without a church service or private viewing,' the Court of Appeal judgment states. The tribunal dismissed Mr Angelopoulos' application in 2022. In her decision, QCAT member Joanne Browne said Mr Angelopoulos was not treated 'less favourably' than any other person because of the decision to grant him funding under the BAA. 'The respondent's conduct is in all of the circumstances reasonable … on the basis that the conduct was necessary to comply with or is specifically authorised by the BAA,' she wrote. Ms Browne noted Mr Angelopoulos was not denied the additional costs associated with a funeral because of his religious beliefs. Under the Act, the government could only make arrangements for the disposal of a body, such as helping with a burial or cremation, and funerals were not covered under the funding arrangement. The Department of Justice and Attorney-General (DJAG) also wrote to Mr Angelopoulos informing him the Orthodox service was not part of the scope of their funding arrangement. 'Queensland is a multicultural state with diverse range of cultures and religions. Should DJAG agree to provide a church service and viewing in the current circumstances, then it would be obliged to provide a similar offer to all applicants of all cultures and religion,' the department said, according to the QCAT judgment. 'The cost to the state would be very significant and this would be a huge impost on limited government funds to provide specialised funeral services, as opposed to a simple burial, for each and every culture and religion in circumstances where burial assistance is approved.' A subsequent attempt to appeal the decision through QCAT's own appeals tribunal was also dismissed. Mr Angelopoulos then took the matter to Queensland's Court of Appeal, arguing five grounds. Some of his submissions included that he was denied natural justice due to limited evidence, the tribunal overlooked the Human Rights Act and that there was an error of fact in the respondent's argument. The Court of Appeal judgment states there was 'no jurisdiction' for at least three of the grounds of appeal. 'Leave should not be granted to the applicant given the proposed appeal does not raise questions of law arising from the final decision … in relation to grounds 1-3 and 5,' the judgment states.
