FEMA begins process of debt waivers

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced recently that it has begun to mail letters to disaster survivors who requested and were found eligible for a waiver of their disaster-related debt. However, the deadline is approaching for those who have not yet requested a waiver.

The deadline for submitting a waiver request is 60 days from the date of the Notice of Waiver from FEMA. For the majority of disaster survivors, the deadline to submit their waiver is between April 16 and 23. As an additional measure, FEMA will also be mailing reminder letters to those who have yet to request a waiver, urging them to do so.

“FEMA is committed to implementing this law to the fullest extent possible so that it offers a fair resolution to individuals who received improper payments through no fault of their own” said Deputy Associate Administrator for Response and Recovery Elizabeth Zimmerman. “Since the deadline is approaching, we urge anyone who may be eligible for a waiver to contact FEMA quickly, even if you have already submitted an appeal of your Notice of Debt.”

Any disaster survivor with questions about their eligibility requirements or the process to request a waiver is encouraged to contact FEMA’s Recoupment Helpline at 1-800-816-1122 between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 1-800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-816-1122.

Congress passed, and the President signed, the Disaster Assistance Recoupment Fairness Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-74) (DARFA) as part of the Fiscal Year 12 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. DARFA provides the Ad­min­istrator of FEMA with the authority to waive a debt arising from improper payments provided for disasters declared between August 28, 2005, and December 31, 2010, if certain conditions are met.

This article was originally published in the April 9, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper