HOUSTON — You applied for FEMA aid after Hurricane Beryl and got approved -- but where’s the money?
That’s the question we took to FEMA officials to find out why so many Houstonians are still waiting for assistance three weeks after the storm.
When FEMA opened applications for individual assistance, residents in 15 impacted counties were made eligible for a variety of aid programs. Among them, “serious needs assistance” provides $750 checks for essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies to eligible residents.
In a statement Monday, FEMA explained that serious needs assistance is processed by the State of Texas and payments are distributed through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission(HHSC).
HHSC confirmed the general timeline for people to receive their $750 checks is 10 business days after approval. However, when we asked if people were guaranteed to receive their money within that timeline -- there was no clear answer.
"In most cases, HHSC can confirm when an applicant will receive a payment. In some cases, when an applicant was more recently approved, an answer may not be immediately available. Please note, the general timeline for payments is 10 business days," an HHSC spokesperson said.
Apart from serious needs assistance, FEMA also offers assistance for home repair, personal property loss and other expenses.
Speaking to KHOU 11, FEMA spokesperson Alberto Pillot said applications for storm damage assistance were being processed as quickly as possible. However, he indicated a heavy workload at FEMA processing centers has slowed response times.
“It’s a process that we have to go through, verification of identity, insurance, depending on the scope of the need of each survivor and how they applied, could be the determination of the how these get processed,” he said. “A lot of disasters have been added in the United States and we have processing centers that are processing an enormous number of these applications -- so we ask everyone for patience.”
If you’re denied assistance, Pilot said you must read your denial letter closely. It’s possible you’re missing certain paperwork or an update from insurance.
“We cannot duplicate the benefits or insurance, we have to wait for a determination, then you have to resubmit to FEMA to see what the insurance covered, and what FEMA can cover,” he said.
The deadline to apply for Beryl-related FEMA assistance is Sept. 10. You can visit a FEMA Recovery Center in person to check the status of your application.
If you have a question about your application, you can also contact FEMA:
- Phone: 1-800-621-3362
- Online: www.DisasterAssistance.gov
- Email: AskIA@FEMA.DHS.GOV
Or you can contact HHS if you have a question about serious needs assistance:
- Phone: 1-800-582-5233 (toll-free)
- Email: DisasterAssistance@hhsc.state.tx.us