For eligible homeowners, FEMA can help with additional repairs and improvements if you or a member of your household has a disability.
What items can FEMA help with for those with disabilities?
FEMA can help homeowners pay for the cost of items when needed such as:
- Exterior ramp.
- Grab bars.
- Paved path of travel to your home from your vehicle.
FEMA can provide money to help with some or all of these items when:
- Your home was damaged by the disaster and it already had one or more of these items,
- Your home was damaged by the disaster and a member of your household needs one or more of these items, even if it wasn’t part of your home before the disaster,
- A member of your household has a disability or was injured and now has a disability caused by the disaster and needs one or more of these items.
Who can get help to repair or install these items?
You can get help with home repair from FEMA if:
- You or someone in your home is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or a qualified non-citizen,
- FEMA can confirm your identity,
- You own your home, and it is in a declared disaster area,
- You live in your home most of the year,
- A member of your household has a disability and needs one or more of the items listed above,
- You don’t have insurance that covers the damage to your home from the disaster, and
- A FEMA inspection confirms your home was damaged by the disaster and isn’t safe to live in
Will FEMA cover my costs?
Yes. Home Repair Assistance is not limited by a financial maximum award for the items listed above when needed to make your home safe to access for anyone in your household with a disability or injury.
My home was damaged but didn’t have these items. How can I get help?
After you apply for disaster assistance, a FEMA inspector will contact you to schedule a time to meet to see the damage to your home. You should also call FEMA’s Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 to request more information on accessibility improvements. You may be eligible for the full cost of these improvements. If FEMA determines your home is not safe to live in without these improvements and you send the following information to FEMA:
- Receipts or estimates for items that need to be built or installed, and
- Signed statement from your medical, health care, or rehabilitation professional with their contact information that explains your need for the items.
My home was damaged and had these items. How can I get help?
After you apply for disaster assistance, a FEMA inspector will contact you to schedule a time to meet to see the damage to your home. The inspector will record the damage to your accessibility items. If you are eligible, you will receive money for your items and other repairs. If the money does not fully cover your repairs to make your home accessible, you can appeal for the full cost of those repairs.
My home wasn’t damaged, but the disaster caused someone in my household to have a disability. How can I get help?
If the disaster caused anyone in your household to have a disability or injury, FEMA can help, even if your home was not damaged in the disaster. You should contact FEMA’s Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 to request more information on accessibility improvements. You may be eligible for the full cost of your improvements, if you send this information to FEMA:
- Receipts or estimates for items that need to be built or installed, and
- Signed statement from your medical, health care, or rehabilitation professional with their contact information that explains your need for the items and that the disaster caused the disability.
I don’t agree with FEMA’s decision. How can I appeal?
If you don’t agree with FEMA’s decision, you can appeal by showing why you need FEMA assistance. The decision letter you get from FEMA will have more information about the types of documents you should send.
You may use an optional Appeal Request form, which is included in the decision letter you receive from FEMA. You can also choose to write and sign a letter to send with your documents to help FEMA understand why you need help.
How can I send documents?
You can send supporting documents to FEMA by:
- Uploading to your disaster assistance account at DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Mailing to FEMA, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055.
- Faxing to 1-800-827-8112.
- Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), if available. For location and hours, visit fema.gov/drc. No appointment needed.
How can I request an accommodation?
If you have a disability or language need that requires an accommodation to interact with FEMA staff or access FEMA programs, go to your local DRC and let them know what you need, and they will coordinate these services. If you are not near a DRC, contact FEMA’s Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. MT, to register. Help is available in most languages.