The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is urging Connecticut residents who applied for federal assistance to cover damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida to read their responses from the agency carefully and consider appealing if they disagree with the decision.
"Filing an appeal may be the key to unlocking additional disaster assistance," FEMA said in a news release. "You must file an appeal within 60 days of the date on your FEMA eligibility letter."
Connecticut was declared a disaster area on Oct. 30, according to FEMA. The remnants of Ida hit the state Sept. 1-2.
So far, FEMA has approved $7 million in grants to Connecticut residents who suffered damage from the storm's remnants.
"In Connecticut, FEMA staff are working with homeowners and renters to resolve issues and help applicants work through the appeals process for additional eligible funding," the agency said. "To date, FEMA has completed 1,980 case reviews. These reviews have resulted in an additional $1.1 million disbursed in disaster assistance to impacted survivors."
Frequently, residents need to submit extra documents such as proof of ownership and proof of occupancy for FEMA to approve the application.
"All appeals must be in writing," FEMA said. "The appeal letter should explain why you believe FEMA’s decision is not correct. It is important to include any documentation FEMA requests and/or that supports the appeal claim. Also, if the person writing the appeal letter is not the applicant or a member of the household, you must submit a signed statement that the writer is authorized to act on your behalf."
You can set up a FEMA online account or upload documents at disasterassistance.gov and click on “Check Your Application and Log In” and follow the directions.
