Residents who were denied disaster aid can appeal FEMA decisions | News, Sports, Jobs
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering tips on how to appeal FEMA decisions for residents who have applied for and been denied federal disaster aid.
FEMA provides financial assistance to eligible individuals and households with uninsured or underinsured disaster-related expenses. By law, FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program cannot provide funding when any other source — insurance, crowdfunding or financial assistance from voluntary agencies — has covered expenses for the same disaster-related need.
If insurance does not cover all losses, or the settlement is delayed, a person may be eligible for assistance for unmet needs.
When residents receive a letter from FEMA saying they are ineligible for assistance, it may simply mean FEMA needs more information and they will have the opportunity to appeal, the agency said in a news release Thursday.
An appeal is a written request to FEMA to review the application and is an opportunity to provide new or additional information not previously submitted. The appeal should be submitted to FEMA within 60 days of the date on the determination letter. Residents should submit a dated and signed appeal letter explaining why they disagree with the decision and should include:
• Applicant’s full name, current address and damaged dwelling address.
• On the top of every page, the applicant’s nine-digit FEMA application number, which is found at the top of the determination letter.
• FEMA’s disaster declaration number for Hawaii: DR-4724-HI.
• Applicant’s signature and the date. If an applicant chooses to have someone else submit an appeal on their behalf, that person must sign the appeal letter. The applicant must also include a signed statement authorizing that person to make the appeal on their behalf.
The appeal letter can be mailed to: FEMA Individuals and Households Program, National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055.
Appeal letters and supporting documentation can also be uploaded to the applicant’s account on DisasterAssistance.gov or faxed to (800) 827-8112.
Those who didn’t apply for assistance but received a letter from FEMA can call the Disaster Assistance Helpline at (800) 621-3362. Those using a relay service, captioned telephone service or others should give FEMA the number for that service when they apply. Helpline operators speak many languages, and liens are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4724 or follow @FEMARegion9 on X (formerly known as Twitter) or facebook.com/fema.
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