Questions and Answers: FEMA Assistance (2024)

FAQs

How are people getting $500 from FEMA? ›

It is a one-time $500 payment per household. The State must request that FEMA authorize CNA in a disaster for specific geographic areas that are expected to be inaccessible for an extended period of time (i.e., seven days or longer).

Critical Needs Assistance is limited to a one-time $700 payment per household. Maybe you were displaced from your primary residence or you need help to move from your pre-disaster primary residence to temporarily shelter elsewhere.

Ownership/Occupancy Verification

For certain types of assistance, FEMA must confirm the disaster-damaged home is your primary residence. For Home Repair or Replacement Assistance, FEMA also needs to confirm you owned the residence at the time of the disaster.

How much help can FEMA give me? FEMA is limited by law to how much money we can provide. For disasters declared in Fiscal Year 2024, FEMA can provide up to $42,500 in Housing Assistance and up to $42,500 for Other Needs Assistance. Some types of help do not count toward these limits.

Between 2016 and 2022, the average FEMA disaster assistance grant award was $3,000. In the same period, the NFIP paid an average claim amount of more than $66,000. In some cases, policyholders may be eligible to couple their flood insurance claims with federal disaster assistance.

How long will it take to get FEMA/State disaster help? If you are eligible for help, you should receive a U.S. Treasury/State check or notification of a deposit to your bank account within about ten days of the inspector's visit. Other types of assistance may be provided later, based on specific eligibility and need.

FEMA assistance is not the same as insurance.

Home damage must be disaster-related. A home inspection is required to calculate the FEMA verified loss. Calculations are based on the general depreciation amount for items of average quality, size and capacity.

You can submit your appeal documents online, in person, by mail or by fax. If you choose to have a third party submit an appeal on your behalf, include a statement signed by you, authorizing the third party to appeal a decision on your behalf, unless those documents are already on file.

Does FEMA ask for proof? ›

When you apply for disaster assistance, FEMA must verify your identity to ensure you receive the aid you're eligible for. If FEMA is unable to verify your identity through public records, you may be required to submit additional documents.

Be sure to document how you used your disaster funds and keep all receipts for at least three years. Your FEMA grant is funded by taxpayers. If you spend your grant on anything other than the purpose for which it is intended, you may be ineligible for future disaster assistance.

If eligible for assistance, you will receive a check or an electronic funds transfer. A follow-up letter will explain how the money can be used. For an accessible video on FEMA home inspections, go to FEMA Accessible: Home Inspections.

Survivors can also check the status of their applications online at DisasterAssistance.gov, which is the fastest way to get information to and from FEMA.

If you qualify for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, you will receive a check in the mail or direct deposit to your bank and a separate letter, in the mail, explaining how you may use the assistance. You may get additional funds from other programs later.

CNA may cover water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene items and fuel for transportation. o CNA is limited to a one-time $500 payment per household.

The federal share of assistance is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost. The Recipient determines how the non-federal share (up to 25 percent) is split with eligible Applicants.

Fact: If your home was damaged but you can live in it safely, FEMA may be able to provide $300 in one-time financial assistance to help with cleanup. Clean and sanitize funding, is not appealable and is automatically paid to applicants that meet all of the following eligibility criteria for this assistance.

Texas has received the most money from FEMA, totaling more than $7.6 billion in federal aid and spending more than $6.2 billion. Florida, California and North Carolina also received more than $1 billion in federal aid in the last three years.