Spring Break
FEMA wants relief money backs and MSU residents targeted
Elizabeth Swain
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: News
After Hurricane Rita hit Lake Charles and surrounding areas, residents were encouraged to apply for assistance from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Many McNeese student residents applied and were awarded funds. Now FEMA is auditing all recipients and students are caught in the middle.
Kathleen McNally, a Collette Hall resident, applied for assistance in 2005 assuming she would not receive any money. "I was surprised when I was awarded assistance. I was directly deposited $2,000 and a couple of weeks later I received an extra $890 for rental assistance." said McNally.
Now a year later FEMA is requesting that all those who received funds repay. "It[the audit letter] starts off with a nice paragraph saying we're going through an audit and through our audit we have found that you owe $2,890 and the reason why was because of duplicated benefits. It didn't explain this, it just goes on to say you must pay within 30 days or begin to incur interest fees." said McNally.
The McNeese Student Housing and Resident Life department are working hard to ease students' anxiety over the letters. "We give them copies of their lease from the previous year to prove they lived on campus and then I'll write a letter to FEMA on behalf of the resident stating they lived here; and depending on what the letter from FEMA states, we will try to provide anything else that will help prove the case of the resident." said Director of Resident Life Marc Nichols. "We've have around 800 residents on campus and 100 students have already come in asking for help with FEMA audit letters."
FEMA does offer the option of appealing the audit. In the letter it states the appeals process can be done only after payment but other opportunities are available. "The FEMA representative I talked to actually said that if I am 99 percent sure my appeal would go through to not send any money, but the appeal process could take a long time. I setup a payment plan so that if the process does exceed the 30 days given, penalty charges would not accumulate." said McNally.
This is only the beginning of FEMA's auditing process. Sooner or later everyone who was awarded any relief funds will receive a letter asking either to send documentation to prove a case or to repay all funds in full.
McNally offers her advice to those who will be receiving their letters in the next months. "As soon as you get that letter call the FEMA Helpline, find out what they are saying the problem is and get as much information as you can. Talk to people to see what they are doing and get an appeal in as soon as you can. Prepare to pay it back, starting saving just in case you have to. They have a legal right to do this and can make you pay it."
Kathleen McNally, a Collette Hall resident, applied for assistance in 2005 assuming she would not receive any money. "I was surprised when I was awarded assistance. I was directly deposited $2,000 and a couple of weeks later I received an extra $890 for rental assistance." said McNally.
Now a year later FEMA is requesting that all those who received funds repay. "It[the audit letter] starts off with a nice paragraph saying we're going through an audit and through our audit we have found that you owe $2,890 and the reason why was because of duplicated benefits. It didn't explain this, it just goes on to say you must pay within 30 days or begin to incur interest fees." said McNally.
The McNeese Student Housing and Resident Life department are working hard to ease students' anxiety over the letters. "We give them copies of their lease from the previous year to prove they lived on campus and then I'll write a letter to FEMA on behalf of the resident stating they lived here; and depending on what the letter from FEMA states, we will try to provide anything else that will help prove the case of the resident." said Director of Resident Life Marc Nichols. "We've have around 800 residents on campus and 100 students have already come in asking for help with FEMA audit letters."
FEMA does offer the option of appealing the audit. In the letter it states the appeals process can be done only after payment but other opportunities are available. "The FEMA representative I talked to actually said that if I am 99 percent sure my appeal would go through to not send any money, but the appeal process could take a long time. I setup a payment plan so that if the process does exceed the 30 days given, penalty charges would not accumulate." said McNally.
This is only the beginning of FEMA's auditing process. Sooner or later everyone who was awarded any relief funds will receive a letter asking either to send documentation to prove a case or to repay all funds in full.
McNally offers her advice to those who will be receiving their letters in the next months. "As soon as you get that letter call the FEMA Helpline, find out what they are saying the problem is and get as much information as you can. Talk to people to see what they are doing and get an appeal in as soon as you can. Prepare to pay it back, starting saving just in case you have to. They have a legal right to do this and can make you pay it."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dan McCormack
posted 4/20/07 @ 12:23 AM CST
Just when i thought our government was not able to shock me any further...along comes this account of FEMA backstabbing! If this stuff were part of a joke it would still be painful. (Continued…)
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