BATON ROUGE, La.
– The State of Louisiana
and the
Federal
Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) have
signed a new protocol
for the appeals of FEMA
decisions relative to
the state’s recovery
efforts for hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, FEMA,
the
Louisiana Recovery
Authority (LRA) and the
Governor’s Office of
Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)
announced today.
This change in the
appeals process for the
Public Assistance
program in Louisiana
will remove the FEMA
appeals process from the
Louisiana Transitional
Recovery Office (LA TRO)
in New Orleans and
transition it to an
independent appeals team
located at and reporting
directly to FEMA’s
Region VI in Denton,
Texas. The new appeals
process is a result of
last month’s partnership
meeting where FEMA and
the state came together
to address ways to
solidify their
partnership and address
issues to maximize
recovery dollars.
“By establishing an
independent appeals team
outside of FEMA’s
Louisiana office, we are
working to address the
state’s perception that
the appeals process is
unduly influenced by its
location here,” said
Acting Associate Deputy
Administrator for FEMA’s
Gulf Coast Recovery
Office Jim Stark. “We
will continue working
closely with the state,
though, to resolve as
many issues as possible
before they are elevated
to the appeals process.”
An applicant may appeal
any decision made by
FEMA, whether a project
worksheet assessment or
an issue such as
applicant eligibility or
an extension request
denial. The applicant
must file an appeal with
the state within 60 days
of receiving notice of
the action it wishes to
appeal. Within 60 days
of receiving the
applicant’s appeal
letter, the state must
prepare and forward a
written recommendation
to Region VI, where FEMA
will have 90 days to
review the appeal and
render a decision or
request additional
information.
“Previously, when local
applicants wanted to
appeal a decision by
FEMA, it went back to
the office that made the
original decision for
reconsideration. Under
the new system, appeals
will get a review by a
fresh set of eyes
outside of Louisiana’s
Public Assistance
program,” said Paul
Rainwater, LRA Executive
Director. “We thank the
leadership at FEMA for
working with the state
to give local applicants
reassurance that their
appeals are handled by
an independent review
team without bias.”
If an applicant’s appeal
is denied, they will now
also be able to argue a
second appeal orally,
rather than solely in
written documentation.
Second appeals follow
the same timeline as
above, but will be
forwarded to FEMA
Headquarters Public
Assistance Division.
FEMA and GOHSEP will
continue working
together to minimize
appeals by maximizing
pre-appeal
determinations. Senior
staff will meet
regularly, and FEMA’s LA
TRO Public Assistance
Section Chief and
GOHSEP’s Public
Assistance lead will
discuss relevant
applicant issues to
quickly review and
resolve before the
appeals time clock
begins.
“By working closely with
our FEMA counterparts,
we were able to
acknowledge issues
within the appeals
process and address
them,” said Mark Riley,
assistant deputy
director, Disaster
Recovery Division,
GOHSEP. “The new appeals
process will allow the
applicants to have the
opportunity to receive
an impartial, unbiased
look at their appeal.”
During his first day in
office,
Governor Bobby Jindal
issued an
Executive Order
directing the LRA to be
responsible for the
state’s actions with
regard to FEMA’s Public
Assistance program. The
LRA is working in
conjunction with GOHSEP
and its federal partners
to identify ways to
streamline the Public
Assistance process and
improve efficiency, with
the ultimate goal of
cutting in half the
length of time that
applications spend in
the process. In
February, FEMA, the LRA
and GOHSEP leaders met
to identify and discuss
issues within the Public
Assistance program.
The Public Assistance
program works with state
and local officials to
fund recovery measures
and the rebuilding of
government and certain
private nonprofit
organizations’ buildings
and recreation centers,
as well as roads,
bridges and water and
sewer plants. In order
for the process to be
successful, federal,
state and local partners
coordinate to draw up
project plans, fund
these projects and
oversee their
completion.
Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita devastated South
Louisiana, claiming
1,464 lives, destroying
more than 200,000 homes
and 18,000 businesses.
The Louisiana Recovery
Authority (LRA) is the
planning and
coordinating body that
was created in the
aftermath of these
storms to lead one of
the most extensive
rebuilding efforts in
the world. The LRA is a
33-member body which is
coordinating across
jurisdictions,
supporting community
recovery and resurgence,
ensuring integrity and
effectiveness, and
planning for the
recovery and rebuilding
of Louisiana.
FEMA coordinates the
federal government’s
role in preparing for,
preventing, mitigating
the effects of,
responding to and
recovering from all
domestic disasters,
whether natural or
man-made, including acts
of terror.
