FEMA assistance can be a lifeline for disaster survivors. Learn about the legal issues involved in obtaining this assistance for them.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It coordinates federal, state, and local aid and response initiatives to alleviate the suffering and damage caused by natural disasters. For legal aid purposes, it is important to understand FEMA’s role in providing financial assistance to disaster survivors (individuals and households) and to learn how to navigate the application process.
Some key points of the FEMA programs and processes are provided below.
These are some of the key steps in the process:
The IAPPG, or Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide, is a user’s manual for navigating FEMA programs. This document is an incredibly valuable resource for both advocates and disaster survivors, especially for appealing denials or insufficient grants.
As times change, the FEMA policies and guidelines often get updates to keep up with the law. The links here include historical versions of the IAPPG, as well as the IHPUG- the Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance document that governed disasters from 2016 thru 2019.
The Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG) consolidates information on all of FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) programs and activities and provides a comprehensive policy resource for state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments, non-governmental organization partners, and entities that participate in or support the recovery of disaster survivors.
This guide was updated on 5/26/2021.
On September 2, 2021, FEMA published an amendment to sections of FEMA Policy 104-009-03, Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide, Version 1.1 (IAPPG), published on May 26, 2021. Among other things, the amendment provides a simpler method of proving title to a property. Under the new policy, which is in effect for natural disasters declared since August 23, applicants whose homes or land were inherited informally without written wills will be able to take other steps to prove ownership, such as showing receipts for significant repairs or improvements at their homes. In some cases, they will be allowed to self-certify to meet the ownership requirements.
The Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG) consolidates information on all of FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) programs and activities and provides a comprehensive policy resource for state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments, non-governmental organization partners, and entities that participate in or support the recovery of disaster survivors.
This is the original 2019 version, which is included for historical purposes only.
The Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance (IHPUG) superseded existing stand-alone policies and applied to disasters declared on or after September 30, 2016 through February 28, 2019. The Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG) supersedes the IHPUG for any disaster declared on or after March 1, 2019.
This document is included for historical purposes.