FEMA disaster assistance is intended to help you make your home safe, sanitary and functional after a disaster. Sometimes it won’t cover, or can’t be used for, all your expenses. You’ll receive a letter explaining how you can use your grant within a day or two of receiving payment from FEMA.
What can my grant be used for?
FEMA provides financial assistance to eligible individuals and households affected by a disaster who have uninsured or underinsured disaster-related expenses. FEMA assistance is not the same as insurance, nor can it restore all you may have lost in the disaster. Depending on your circumstances, your assistance may be used for:
- Home repairs (e.g., structure, water, septic and sewage systems)
- Disaster grants intended for home repairs can’t be used for regular living expenses, such as utilities, food, medical or dental bills, travel, entertainment, or any expenses not directly related to the disaster.
- Rental assistance for a different place to live temporarily;
- Repair or replacement of a damaged primary vehicle;
- Uninsured out-of-pocket medical expenses for an injury caused by the disaster;
- Repair or replacement of occupational specialized tools;
- Essential educational materials (e.g., computers, schoolbooks, supplies);
- Moving and storage expenses related to the disaster.
Do I have to track how I spend my grant?
FEMA conducts regular audits of assistance grants. If a grant hasn’t been used for its lawful purpose, or you received duplicate assistance from another source, we may ask you to return the grant. By law, FEMA can’t duplicate payments or benefits from other sources, such as insurance, charitable donations or state-sponsored relief programs. If you initially received a grant for an expense that was later paid for by your insurance, you need to give that grant back to FEMA.
Be sure to document how you used your disaster funds and keep all receipts for at least three years.
Your FEMA grant is funded by taxpayers. If you spend your grant on anything other than the purpose for which it is intended, you may be ineligible for future disaster assistance.
What do I do if I have questions about my assistance?
If you have questions about your grant or any other part of the assistance process, visit a Disaster Recovery Center or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service such as video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you call. Find the Disaster Recovery Center nearest you: fema.gov/drc
The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is Feb. 9, 2024. FEMA will continue to assist applicants with questions after the deadline has passed.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Reasonable accommodations, including translation and American Sign Language interpreters will be available to ensure effective communication with applicants with limited English proficiency, disabilities, and access and functional needs. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362. If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.