San Juan, Puerto Rico — Residents of Puerto Rico who applied for FEMA disaster assistance and were considered ineligible or do not agree with the amount awarded, can appeal this decision. Survivors have 60 days from the date on their FEMA determination letter to submit a letter of appeal.
FEMA may consider an application ineligible for different reasons. These include missing information, insufficient proof of identity or home ownership, or if more than one person from the same household applied for assistance for the same residence.
Survivors may have qualified and received disaster assistance for damage to their homes but disagree with the amount awarded. This may occur when applicants apply for assistance and later discover additional damage that was unnoticed during the inspection.
On the other hand, a survivor may receive an insurance settlement, but the amount is insufficient to repair the damage to their home. In either case, survivors may appeal if they have information for FEMA to reconsider its decision.
How to write an appeal letter
In a letter to FEMA, the survivor must identify the decision to be appealed —ineligibility or insufficient assistance— the reasons for appeal and include documentation to support the request, such as verifiable repair estimates, contractor estimates or other supporting documentation.
The appeal submission should also include the following information:
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Applicant’s full name
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Applicant’s FEMA application number and the disaster number for Hurricane Fiona (FEMA-4671-DR-PR) on each page
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Address of the applicant’s pre-disaster primary residence
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Applicant’s current phone number and address
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Signature and date
Once the above steps are completed, upload your letter of appeal and documentation to disasterassistance.gov, fax to 1-800-827-8112 or send it by mail to:
Individuals and Households Program
National Processing Service Center
P.O. Box 10055
Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055