FEMA Review Helps Most Households Get Long-Term Aid
Release Date: August 30, 2006
Release Number: 1606-004FactSheet
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- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is nearing the end of its emergency sheltering under Section 403 of the Robert P. Stafford Act. Public sheltering programs will end for most evacuee households on Aug. 31, with others ending on Sept. 30.
- Most Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina households which received sheltering via public agencies have been transitioned into FEMA's longer-term Individual Assistance Housing Program (Section 408 in the Stafford Act).
- FEMA has conducted numerous reviews of all evacuee households declared ineligible for FEMA's 408 program. Despite FEMA's best efforts, there are a few thousand who cannot prove to FEMA that they qualify for federal benefits under the law.
- FEMA is working closely with community and faith-based organizations and long-term recovery committees to ensure that these disaster survivors receive ongoing help and do not fall through the cracks.
- FEMA's authority to provide housing assistance to disaster victims is governed by laws and eligibility criteria. Among these criteria, the damaged dwelling must be the applicant's primary residence; the damaged dwelling must be uninhabitable as a result of the disaster; the applicant must be the head of household; at least one member of the household must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or qualified alien; and there cannot be duplication of benefit from insurance or another resource.
- The Emergency Supplemental Act of 2006, Public Law 109-234, was enacted June 15, 2006. The Act requires FEMA, in cases where households received apartment leases via public agency sheltering programs, to continue to pay utilities until the lease ends, up to 12 months after lease signing.
CASE REVIEW TIMELINES
Over the past months, FEMA has coordinated extensive reviews of households currently housed under emergency sheltering programs. Below are key efforts that FEMA has put forth this year to review evacuee cases for long-term assistance:
March
- City of Houston database of 34,630 households is sent to FEMA for comparison with FEMA's database at the National Processing Service Center . Many records differ slightly from FEMA's information (FEMA registration number, applicant of record, etc.). Ineligible applicants are reviewed to determine if they can be made eligible.
April
- Applicants declared ineligible due to insufficient damage are reviewed again and properties re-inspected where appropriate.
- Applicants designated ineligible as duplicating another household member's benefits are reviewed again with an eye toward eligibility under the Separated Households Program.
- Applicants declared ineligible because they didn't sign the important 90-69 Declaration and Release form are contacted and sent another form to sign.
May
- 7,603 cases still classified as ineligible undergo further review. This involves further coordination with city of Houston databases to correct information discrepancies.
- Second review of 6,700 cases classified as ineligible for conversion from public assistance to individual assistance is undertaken.
June
- Approximately 2,000 cases where applicants were declared ineligible due to insufficient damage are diverted for policy review.
- Review of 1,881 cases in the Houston ineligible database. All applicants are called and informed of documentation needed to allow a change in status to eligible.
- Renters with an insufficient damage determination are reviewed, contacted and sent a self-declaration form allowing them to become eligible if their pre-disaster dwelling was not accessible to them for renting for any reason, such as occupancy by another party.
July
- 1,553 cases are reviewed again to identify separated households, need for pending documentation and to attempt to contact registrants who FEMA has been unable to reach.
August
- More review of 555 cases involving ineligible applicants lacking documentation for eligibility.
- Re-review of the 2,000 cases of insufficient damage.
- Rental Assistance Program Teams are deployed to apartments to provide information to manager on need for households to provide paperwork to FEMA establishing need for assistance. Teams deliver 22,000 packets of information to more than 900 apartments. Advertisements and press releases placed with media to emphasize need for households to communicate with FEMA about their cases.
Last Modified: Thursday, 31-Aug-2006 12:31:31