FEMA Denial Letters May Not Be Last Word
Release Date: October 5, 2004
Release Number: 1551-044
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Ivan
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Some people with property damaged by the hurricanes who applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have gotten letters from FEMA saying their application has been denied.
The letters may say the request was denied because the applicant’s “home is not located in the designated disaster area,” or because they are “INS-Insured.”
Those denials may simply be a matter of timing, or mean that more information is needed, disaster officials explain.
“Some people called to register with us before their county had been officially declared part of the disaster,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Bill Carwile of FEMA. “The system automatically creates a letter saying they are outside the disaster area. But as soon as that county is declared, we look at each application from that county again.”
People who get letters saying their application has been denied because their home is not in the disaster area do not need to register a second time, Carwile said. If their county is now included, the application will be looked at again automatically.
If a letter says people were denied assistance because they are “INS-insured,” they should consider calling FEMA again at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) after their insurance claim is settled.
“That code means that the victim has insurance,” explained State Coordinating Officer Craig Fugate. “By law, FEMA cannot duplicate what insurance already covers, or pay deductibles. But in some cases, they may be able to help, up to the program limits. So please contact FEMA after you get your settlement. But call to register with FEMA now. If you wait for the insurance settlement, it may be too late to register.”
Any Floridians who receive a letter from FEMA stating that a claim for federal assistance has been deemed ineligible because of insurance should contact their insurance agent and request a settlement letter. That information, and any new or additional information gained since the initial assistance application was filed, should be mailed to the address provided in the letter from FEMA.
Another option is to take the insurance settlement letter to a Florida State Emergency Response Team/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) where recovery specialists can assist you in updating and appealing your application for assistance.
Any Florida resident with questions or concerns about how a private insurance carrier has responded to hurricane damage should visit representatives of the Florida Department of Financial Services at any of the Disaster Recovery Centers, or visit the department’s web site at www.fldfs.com, or call 860-413-3132.
If FEMA determines that an applicant is not eligible for a grant, he or she may still be eligible for a low-interest loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, free crisis counseling, legal and tax assistance, or one of many other programs designed to help disaster victim
The State Emergency Response Team is a collaboration of state agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. For the latest information on the hurricane relief effort, visit http://www.floridadisaster.org.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 06-Oct-2004 18:44:28