FEMA tells residents it needs Sandy money back after wrongly disbursing funds

After wrongly disbursing Sandy money, FEMA asks for the money back.

News Story (New York)

David B. Caruso, Michael Kunzelman
Washington Post
November 9, 2014
Link to story

Tags: Benefits of Legal Aid, Disaster Recovery

Organizations mentioned/involved: Mobilization for Justice (New York City), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)


DETAILS

More common types of FEMA recoupment actions involve households ineligible for assistance because their damaged properties were vacation homes or rental properties, or families that received extra payments because more than one household member had applied for assistance. FEMA also commonly recoups emergency aid payments for damage later covered by insurance.

Lawyers at MFY Legal Services, a legal aid group that has worked with adult home residents in the past, have offered to help Belle Harbor Manor residents with their appeals.

“Our position is that it would be an unbearable financial hardship and unjust,” to require the residents to repay the money, said MFY attorney Nahid Sorooshyari.