What Are the Eligibility Criteria for FEMA Housing Assistance after a Hurricane?

If your home was severely damaged or destroyed by a hurricane, you may be wondering how you will pay for your losses and restore your financial footing. Although your homeowners’ insurance should be your first source of recovery, your policy might not pay for all of your losses or for temporary housing while your home is being repaired.

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In 1978, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created to assist people whose essential property had been destroyed or damaged and whose losses were not covered by insurance. If your home was severely damaged or destroyed in an area that was declared “in a state of emergency,” you may qualify for financial assistance from FEMA.

The eligibility criteria for FEMA assistance is the same for all regions and all types of disasters. There are several programs within FEMA, but FEMA’s Housing Assistance program typically comes into play after a major hurricane.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, FEMA published its eligibility requirements for Housing Assistance, which include:

  • The property damage was not covered by insurance or the insurance settlement was too low to cover the losses;
  • The applicant or someone who lives in the household is a U.S. citizen, a qualified alien, or a non-citizen national;
  • The applicant has a Social Security number; and
  • The applicant usually lives in the damaged home and was living there when the disaster occurred.

You might not qualify for Housing Assistance if:

  • The damaged home is your vacation or secondary residence;
  • You refused assistance from your insurance company; or
  • Only business losses were incurred.

Does Having Homeowners’ Insurance Bar a Person from Disaster Assistance?

No. Even if you have homeowners’ insurance, you may still qualify for disaster assistance if:

  • You have to rent a place to live due to a hurricane and your policy does not cover “additional living expenses (ALE);” or
  • FEMA estimated your repair costs to be higher than the insurance adjuster’s estimates, in which case FEMA might pay the difference.

If you do not have enough insurance coverage to pay for your losses, you might qualify for a low-interest disaster loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). After you submit the SBA loan form, you might also qualify for additional FEMA grants.

If your insurance provider has offered an unfair settlement or denied your claim, FEMA is not your only source of recourse. Depending on the facts of your case, you might have grounds to sue your carrier to enforce your rights under your policy of insurance.  If so, we will most likely be able to recover all attorney fees and costs against the insurance carrier when we prevail on your behalf, in most instances, costing you nothing out of pocket for your legal representation.   You may also have a basis to establish an insurance bad faith claim against your provider.

Attorney Michael D. Leader of Leader & Leader P.A. will evaluate your situation to determine if you might have grounds for such a claim. Mr. Leader knows the tactics that insurance companies use to deny and undervalue claims, and he will help you enforce your right to fair compensation.

Call our office today at 954-523-2020 to schedule a free consultation with an insurance lawyer in Fort Lauderdale.

 

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