Disaster Assistance Approval Rate Nears 89 Percent for IFG Program; FEMA Provides Support to Enhance New York State Efforts
Release Date: October 24, 2002
Release Number: 1391-163
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New York, NY -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New York State Department of Labor announced today that the approval rate for those requesting financial aid through the state-administered Individual and Family Grant (IFG) program is just under 89 percent. Through October 24, the IFG program has received 95,147 applications for assistance as a result of the World Trade Center Disaster.
Approximately 89 percent of the cases have been approved for nearly $24 million in assistance. Of the 84,583 cases approved, 24,427 have already received assistance. An additional 60,156 cases have been approved to receive assistance, pending the applicants submission of receipts or other documents. The balance consists of ineligible or withdrawn applications (5,209), or cases that are currently being processed at IFG offices (5,355).
The IFG program is designed to help residents from federally declared disaster areas cover the costs of disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs that are not covered by insurance or other assistance programs. The program is 75 percent funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and 25 percent funded by the state of New York, with the states Department of Labor managing the program.
Under IFG guidelines for the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, residents of New York City may apply for assistance for home repairs, replacement of personal property, and reimbursement for air quality equipment -- i.e. air purifiers, air filters, vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters, and repair or replacement of air conditioners. While a number of applicants who lived or worked near the WTC site have been reimbursed for home repairs and damaged or lost personal property, the vast majority of IFG applicants have requested assistance with the purchase of air quality equipment.
Normally, FEMA inspectors visit residents to verify damages as part of the approval process. In this case, those residents requesting air quality equipment must send in receipts in lieu of FEMA inspector visits.
"New York remains strong in its commitment to make sure those affected by the World Trade Center disaster receive the assistance they need," said State Labor Commissioner Linda Angello. "New York thanks FEMA for their continued partnership and support of this program in the last year."
"FEMA remains committed to this area of recovery so that all New Yorkers in need of help can avail themselves of IFG assistance," said FEMA Director Joe M. Allbaugh. "This past summer, FEMA and New York State enacted new procedures to streamline the processing of IFG applications in order to speed delivery of this assistance."
FEMA recovery officials are working closely with IFG administrators at the New York State Department of Labor in Albany to process the influx of applications as efficiently as possible. Streamlining measures include:
- Increased staffing assistance from FEMA and New York state at IFG offices in Albany, which now consists of 13 FEMA staff members supplementing more than 60 state IFG personnel;
- More than 140 FEMA staff members assigned to support New York State Department of Labor in processing IFG applications;
- The implementation of a new IFG assistance and processing department at the FEMA Applicant Assistance Center in lower Manhattan;
- Enhanced language translation services during registration and follow-up phases of the application process;
- Accelerated training and technical support for IFG personnel in Albany;
- The rerouting of applicant calls to the IFG Helpline from offices in Albany to one of more than 50 Helpline agents at FEMA processing centers; and
- The addition of FEMA optic scanning capability, reducing the processing time of returned applicant documents and receipts, and subsequent reimbursement.
Individual and Family Grant Program Summary (October 24, 2002):
| Individual & Family Grant (IFG) Program Cases | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Cases approved; pending applicants' receipts | 60,156 | 63.2% |
| Cases approved; paid | 24,427 | 25.7% |
| Cases approved | 84,583 | 88.9% |
| Ineligible | 5,084 | 5.3% |
| Withdrawn | 125 | .1% |
| In process at IFG | 5,355 | 5.6% |
| 10,564 | 11% | |
| Total cases received | 95,147 | 100% |
In addition, state and federal recovery officials recently announced new procedures designed to expedite the registration process for the IFG program at the Applicant Assistance Center at 141 Worth St. (the former DMV Building) in lower Manhattan. The new system has been implemented which allows applicants to make an appointment for a later date, at which time they can sit down and register face-to-face with a FEMA representative. Once an appointment has been made, the applicant can walk right in at the scheduled time without waiting. While the new appointment system will be more convenient for applicants who wish to register in person, recovery officials stress that the easiest way to apply for IFG assistance is by telephone.
Those who have not yet registered should call FEMAs teleregistration line at 1-800-462-9029 by Nov. 30, 2002 to begin the process. Operators are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Interpreters are available to accommodate the many language communities in the New York metropolitan area. The speech- or hearing-impaired should call 1-800-462-7585.
Residents living in the five counties of New York City (New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens and Richmond) may be eligible to receive IFG assistance. Persons living outside of New York City may apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Last Modified: Friday, 03-Oct-2003 15:49:39