The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday said it’s continuing to offer Colorado residents up to $9,000 in reimbursements for funeral costs stemming from COVID-19 deaths.

The agency expanded its disaster recovery program for funeral assistance to include COVID-19 related deaths in order to ease the financial hardship of families affected by the pandemic, the agency said in a Friday news conference.

FEMA has spent over $7 million so far to reimburse 2,152 Coloradans for funeral expenses , covering approximately 27% of the state’s related deaths tied to the pandemic, the agency said.

U.S. citizens who paid for funeral expenses related to a COVID-19 death, whether it be for a loved one or close friend, can apply for reimbursement for expenses ranging from burial and cremation fees to funeral officiant costs, FEMA said.

Funeral costs covered by another source, such as funeral insurance, aren’t eligible for reimbursement, the agency said.

All registrations will be processed by phone instead of online, the agency said.

“The reason for that is because we really wanted to make sure we had our representatives talking with those people who are registering,” said George Betz, a senior emergency program specialist for the FEMA region that includes Colorado. “We know this is a tough time and we want to be able to answer questions correctly and quickly for that.”

Families can call 844-684-6333 Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to apply for funeral reimbursements. As of Oct. 22 there is no deadline to apply for reimbursements.