U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand today announced that, after their push, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will grant an extension to Sandy victims who still need to file flood insurance claims. Under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), Sandy-impacted homeowners must file a “proof of loss” form, a statement on the amount that the homeowner is claiming under his or her flood insurance policy. Initially, the deadline was October 29th, 2013 in order to be eligible for coverage for flood damage. Many homeowners were unable to meet this deadline because they were waiting for repair work to begin on their homes and were unaware of additional expenses needed to rebuild.
After their initial push, Schumer and Gillibrand secured an extension to April 28th, 2014. Last week, Schumer and Gillibrand called on FEMA to grant another extension because many homeowners still need additional time to file their flood insurance claims. Schumer and Gillibrand today announced that as of April 30th, FEMA is extending the deadline another six months until October 30th.
“It is great news that FEMA has heeded our call and extended the ‘proof of loss’ deadline by six months, allowing Sandy-victims more time to recover and more time to file their flood insurance claims,” said Schumer.
“This critical extension is the right thing to do, and will provide Sandy-impacted homeowners who are still piecing their lives back together the necessary time to enable them to file flood insurance claims that fully reflect all of their losses,” said Gillibrand. “I thank FEMA for heeding our call to assist New Yorkers through this process.”
Schumer and Gillibrand announced that after their push, FEMA will grant an extension on “proof of loss” to Sandy victims. Thousands of seniors, families and children are still displaced or living homes devastated by Sandy. Some are having difficulty making repairs to their home because they were underpaid by their flood insurers and are being told that to get the money they are owed, they need to document how they have spent it. This extension will help these individuals further document their costs and get the money they are owed. As of April 30th, the deadline will be extended six months.