Join us in submitting comments on the FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Program. The PA program allows for certain nonprofits to receive reimbursement for services that are provided in response to disasters. Right now, Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are not on that list, although some CILs have managed to receive reimbursement through a complex and time consuming process due to persistent education to emergency management agencies that CILs should be considered eligible private nonprofit’s for reimbursement.

We offer a comment template below for you to make your own.

Comments are due Tuesday, September 3, 2024 and can be submitted on the Federal Register here.

We hope that you will take advantage of the opportunity to submit comments that inform policy makers that CILs and other disability and aging organizations are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of people with disabilities in disasters and are already doing this. If your organization has provided people with disabilities assistance such as critical information, transportation, evacuation assistance, personal assistance or other supports during disasters please share this in your comments. If you have not done this yet but would like to in the future, please put that in your comments. Also, if disaster/emergency preparedness, response, and/or recovery is in your State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL), please mention that as well.

To get you started on your comments, please find template comments below.

Please add your organization's experience in serving people with disabilities throughout disasters.

Feel free to contact us at info@disasterstrategies.org if you have any questions.