206.119—Financial assistance to address other needs.

(a) Purpose. FEMA and the State may provide financial assistance to individuals and households who have other disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs. To qualify for assistance under this section, an applicant must also:

(1) Apply to the United States Small Business Administration's (SBA) Disaster Home Loan Program for all available assistance under that program; and

(2) Be declined for SBA Disaster Home Loan Program assistance; or

(3) Demonstrate that the SBA assistance received does not satisfy their total necessary expenses or serious needs arising out of the major disaster.

(b) Types of assistance. (1) Medical, dental, and funeral expenses. FEMA may provide financial assistance for medical, dental and funeral items or services to meet the disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs of individuals and households.

(2) Personal property, transportation, and other expenses.

(i) FEMA may provide financial assistance for personal property and transportation items or services to meet the disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs of individuals and households.

(ii) FEMA may provide financial assistance for other items or services that are not included in the specified categories for other assistance but which FEMA approves, in coordination with the State, as eligible to meet unique disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs of individuals and households.

(c) Eligible costs— (1) Personal property. Necessary expenses and serious needs for repair or replacement of personal property are generally limited to the following:

(i) Clothing;

(ii) Household items, furnishings or appliances;

(iii) Tools, specialized or protective clothing, and equipment required by an employer as a condition of employment;

(iv) Computers, uniforms, schoolbooks and supplies required for educational purposes; and

(v) Cleaning or sanitizing any eligible personal property item.

(2) Transportation. Necessary expenses or serious needs for transportation are generally limited to the following:

(i) Repairing or replacing vehicles; and

(ii) Financial assistance for public transportation and any other transportation related costs or services.

(3) Medical expenses. Medical expenses are generally limited to the following:

(i) Medical costs;

(ii) Dental costs; and

(iii) Repair or replacement of medical equipment.

(4) Funeral expenses. Funeral expenses are generally limited to the following

(i) Funeral services;

(ii) Burial or cremation; and

(iii) Other related funeral expenses.

(5) Moving and storage expenses. Necessary expenses and serious needs related to moving and storing personal property to avoid additional disaster damage generally include storage of personal property while disaster-related repairs are being made to the primary residence, and return of the personal property to the individual or household's primary residence.

(6) Other. Other disaster-related expenses not addressed in this section may include:

(i) The purchase of a Group Flood Insurance Policy as described in paragraph (d) of this section.

(ii) Other miscellaneous items or services that FEMA, in consultation with the State, determines are necessary expenses and serious needs.

(d) Group Flood Insurance purchase. Individuals identified by FEMA as eligible for “Other Needs” assistance under section 408 of the Stafford Act as a result of flood damage caused by a Presidentially-declared major disaster and who reside in a special flood hazard area (SFHA) may be included in a Group Flood Insurance Policy (GFIP) established under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations at 44 CFR 61.17.

(1) The premium for the GFIP is a necessary expense within the meaning of this section. FEMA or the State shall withhold this portion of the Other Needs award and provide it to the NFIP on behalf of individuals and households who are eligible for coverage. The coverage shall be equivalent to the maximum assistance amount established under section 408 of the Stafford Act.

(2) FEMA or the State IHP staff shall provide the NFIP with records of individuals who received an “Other Needs” award and are to be insured through the GFIP. Records of “Other Needs” applicants to be insured shall be accompanied by payments to cover the premium amounts for each applicant for the 3-year policy term. The NFIP will then issue a Certificate of Flood Insurance to each applicant. Flood insurance coverage becomes effective on the 30th day following the receipt of records of GFIP insureds and their premium payments from the State or FEMA, and such coverage terminates 36 months from the inception date of the GFIP, which is 60 days from the date of the disaster declaration.

(3) Insured applicants would not be covered if they are determined to be ineligible for coverage based on a number of exclusions established by the NFIP. Therefore, once applicants/policyholders receive the Certificate of Flood Insurance that contains a list of the policy exclusions, they should review that list to see if they are ineligible for coverage. Those applicants who fail to do this may find that their property is, in fact, not covered by the insurance policy when the next flooding incident occurs and they file for losses. Once the applicants find that their damaged buildings, contents, or both, are ineligible for coverage, they should notify the NFIP in writing in order to have their names removed from the GFIP, and to have the flood insurance maintenance requirement expunged from the data-tracking system.

Code of Federal Regulations

[67 FR 61452, Sept. 30, 2002; 67 FR 62896, Oct. 9, 2002]