FEMA officials encourage denied residents to file appeals
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency are urging residents who received a letter denying their claim for assistance to not give up in their attempts to receive federal aid.
Mary Margaret Walker, a public information officer with FEMA, said giving up and dropping out of the process completely could cause a family or an individual to lose out on important financial assistance and benefits.
“Your families and your community are counting on families to recover and rebuild in the area and this assistance is an important part of being able to do that,” Walker said.
If a resident received a letter denying his or her claim for FEMA assistance, Walker said an appeal can be filed.
“If you got discouraged and dropped out of the process, you should know that we may need or may even be waiting for you to come back to us with an appeal, clarification, documents or more information about your situation,” Walker said.
She added a resident has 60 days from the date on their letter of denial from FEMA to file an appeal. In an appeal letter, Walker said the following information must be included:
• An explanation of why you think FEMA’s decision is not correct.
• Your full name, date and place of birth, current address and the address of the damaged property.
• The letter must be notarized.
• A copy of a state-issued identification card must be included in the package OR the letter must include the following statement: “I hereby declare under the penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.”
• Include your FEMA disaster registration number and the disaster declaration number, which is DR-1971-AL, on each page you submit. Sign and date the letter.
Fax the letter to 800-827-8112 with a fax cover sheet that includes the number of pages being sent. Address the cover sheet to: Attention: FEMA APPEALS OFFICER.
Faxing is the fastest and best way to submit an appeal but it can also be mailed to FEMA Appeals Officer, National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055.
