U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently commended Senate approval of legislation that would simplify the disaster assistance process.
The Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act would establish one application deadline for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs individuals use for federal disaster assistance. FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Household Program (IHP) presently have different deadlines, which can cause confusion for disaster survivors who may have trouble tracking when they need to apply for each program.
“When natural disaster strikes, people already have enough stress and confusion to contend with, and it is imperative that the government does not exacerbate the situation by imposing complicated and confusing rules,” said Paul, ranking member of the Senate Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. “In order to ensure a smoother and more efficient experience for those seeking aid, I supported the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act which would simplify the federal disaster assistance process by aligning the deadlines for two programs.”
The measure would aid in reducing disaster survivor confusion by requiring at least 60 days for survivors to submit applications for both the DUA and IHP programs. The DUA deadline is 30 days and the IHP deadline is 60 days after a federal disaster declaration.
“By aligning deadlines for disaster survivors to apply for federal assistance, this bipartisan bill will limit confusion in the application process and ensure that people know exactly when they need to submit their applications to access these critical resources to help rebuild their lives,” said Peters, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.