Presidential Declared Disaster Assistance to Individuals and Households - Other Needs

Individuals and households, in areas designated in an emergency or major disaster declaration under the Stafford Act for Individual Assistance, who have necessary expenses and serious needs they are unable to meet through insurance or other means, may be eligible for Other Needs Assistance. Basic conditions of eligibility include: the individual or a member of the household must be a citizen of the United States, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien; FEMA must be able to verify the applicant�s identity; the applicant�s insurance, or other forms of disaster assistance received cannot meet their disaster-caused needs; and the applicant�s necessary expenses and serious needs are directly caused by the major disaster or emergency. In addition to this general eligibility criteria, each type of Other Needs Assistance has additional eligibility requirements, like verifiable documentation of the disaster-caused expense. FEMA collaborates with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to determine eligibility for Personal Property, Transportation, and a Group Flood Insurance Policy. Applicants who are referred to the SBA for a disaster loan to cover these types of assistance must complete an application and be denied by the SBA or only receive a partial loan, in order to be considered for these types of assistance from FEMA.