Category: Public Awareness (page 11)
Beware of Those Trying to Take Advantage of WVa Disaster Survivors
Charleston, W.Va. – Disasters attract a few trying to help themselves rather than those who suffered losses. Precautions can help those affected by the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides of July 28-29, 2017 avoid being victimized.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) never charges for any of its disaster recovery services, nor does it endorse any commercial businesses, products or services.
West Virginia has a price gouging law that forbids businesses and contractors from raising their prices more than 10 percent above pre-disaster levels. It is enforced by the state’s Attorney General.
State and FEMA officials offer these consumer tips:
When hiring a contractor, ask for proof that the contractor has current general liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. Ask for references and check them before signing a contract.
Don’t pay in advance for more than half the repair costs. Don’t make the final payment until you are satisfied with the completed work.
Verify solicitations for disaster relief agencies by asking for the charity’s exact name, street address, phone number and web address. Phone the charity directly and confirm that the person asking for funds is an employee or an authorized volunteer.
Request a receipt.
Also:
FEMA and the U. S. Small Business Administration deal only with the homeowner or renter, not with an intermediary.
State and federal workers do not solicit or accept money from applicants for disaster assistance.
FEMA inspectors present photo identification. They are assigned to specific properties and have the applicant’s nine-digit FEMA registration number. They make appointments
to meet the applicant at the property. A FEMA inspector’s job is to verify the extent of eligible disaster-related damage. They don’t seek banking or other personal information, nor do they recommend contractors.
If you suspect fraud, call the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721. If you are the victim of a home repair scam or price gouging, call the Office of the West Virginia Attorney
General at 800-368-8808.
FEMA News Release
West Virginia Residents Urged to Register with FEMA
Charleston, W.Va. – West Virginia disaster survivors in Harrison, Marion, Marshall and Wetzel counties are urged to register for federal disaster assistance with FEMA.
Individuals and business owners in the designated counties who had severe storm or flood damage may register for assistance the following ways:
• Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov
• By calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
o People who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585.
o For those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
o These toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
Assistance provided by FEMA for homeowners and renters can include grants for rent, temporary housing and home repairs to their primary residences, as well as other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs.
Register for Disaster Assistance
“Different Voices and Common Experiences” Opening
Introducing Our Lives: Safe and Strong Program
Healthcare Vote Expected Next Week
Healthcare Vote Expected Next Week: The Fight Is Not Over! From the National Council on Independent Living The Senate released their updated version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (PDF) yesterday, and all of our concerns remain the same. Read the Senate summary (PDF).…
Darla Ervin Writes in Charleston Gazette-Mail
Darla Erwin: Medicaid’s future a life/death decision to disabled (Gazette)
I am — like thousands of others in West Virginia — a person with a disability. I was born with cerebral palsy and need a power wheelchair to get around. I’m also a mother, a widow, and a daughter. My handsome son, Wesley, is in the military and serves in Iraq.
Like many other people with disabilities, I have created a full life for myself: I am becoming a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children; I serve on several boards for disability organizations; and I am the co-coordinator of West Virginia ADAPT, a grassroots disability rights organization.
Also like so many other people with disabilities, I am only able to live this full, active life because of Medicaid. Medicaid pays for my wheelchair, for my medications and for the attendant who helps me get up in the morning and go to bed at night. Without these supports, I would be in a nursing home. Or, I would be dead.
The current congressional proposals to fundamentally change — and slash — Medicaid leave me terrified. The home- and community-based services that Medicaid funds for me — and 13,000 other senior and disabled West Virginians — could disappear. Completely. We will be left with no choice but to abandon our jobs, our families, our volunteer work. Many of us might be forced into nursing homes. Others would have family members who quit their jobs to care for us. Still others would die.
American Wheelchair Mission in Appalachia
Three West Virginia Centers for Independent Living received 75 manual wheelchairs of various sizes for distribution to those in need. Brynn Hochman and her family from Los Angeles have been working with American Wheelchair Mission as part of a humanitarian…
Coffee Shop
This coffee shop only hires people with disabilities.