Our community is still recovering from the physical, psychological, and economic damage wrought by Superstorm Sandy. In the aftermath of Sandy’s destruction, many of us were in desperate need of disaster relief assistance. In this time of crisis, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acted quickly to provide assistance to our community and for this swift humanitarian action, we are eternally grateful. Yet more than two years after Sandy, victims who received FEMA assistance are now being asked to relive the emotional and financial distress, as FEMA takes action to collect accidental overpayments. These overpayments occurred through no fault of the recipients, and are a result of the overwhelming size and scope of FEMA’s response. Some of these overpayments were for as little as $1000 and went to retired seniors, like those living at the Belle Harbor Manor in the Rockaways. For these seniors, many of whom live on a fixed income, as-well-as the tens of thousands of other recipients of overpayments, the debt-collection process potentially includes attaching one’s Social Security benefits, reducing their credit scores, and lengthy and costly litigation. To prevent the U.S. Government from dragging everyday-hardworking Americans through a potentially lengthy and costly collection process, I am drafting legislation with Senator Menendez to provide relief for Sandy victims who are in debt to FEMA through no fault of their own. It is my hope that Congress will take swift action to fix this problem. Sandy taught me the importance of our community coming together, and it is my hope that the nation, through its representatives in Congress, will unite to bring closure to the thousands upon thousands of victims of major disasters in the United States. meeks.house.gov/press-release/us-representative-gregory-w-meeks-and-senator-robert-menendez-lead-bi-partisan-effort
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 23:26:49 +0000
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