DISASTER AID DOES NOT AFFECT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE BENEFITS

News Release

DISASTER AID DOES NOT AFFECT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE BENEFITS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - People who receive federal disaster assistance as a result of Tropical Storm Debby will not pay additional income taxes or see any reduction in their Social Security checks or any other federal benefits.

Disaster assistance for temporary housing, essential home repairs, replacement of personal property or for other needs does not count as income. Disaster relief payments from the government or donations from charitable organizations will not affect Social Security payments or Medicare benefits.

People can register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance by using any of the following methods:

1. By phone, call 800-621-FEMA (3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Assistance is available in most languages. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call (TTY) 800-462-7585.
2. Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
3. By tablet or smartphone, use the FEMA app or go to m.fema.gov.

Those who have experienced damage from the storms may be eligible for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program.  This may cover expenses for temporary housing, home repairs, replacement of damaged personal property and other disaster-related needs, such as medical, dental or transportation costs not covered by insurance or other programs.

Eligibility for FEMA assistance is not dependent on income. The determination on the amount of disaster assistance an eligible applicant receives is based on the amount of loss and damages incurred as a direct result of the recent storms and flooding and the amount of their insurance settlement, if any.

For more information on Florida's disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://www.floridadisaster.org/. On Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/FloridaSERT. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/FLSERT orwww.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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