Third-Party Written Consent: Let FEMA Know Who to Talk to About Your Application

Applicants who need a friend or relative to act on their behalf when applying for disaster assistance, or to meet the FEMA inspector on site, can do so by writing and submitting a   third-party statement. This document is a legal agreement that allows another person over the age of 18 to provide and receive information from FEMA on behalf of the survivor.  

Third-party written consent is useful when:

• The applicant is displaced and unable to be present during the home inspection.
• People need help filling out the application for FEMA assistance. This could be helpful for:
  • Senior citizens
  • People who have difficulties understanding verbal and/or written information
  • People with mental, physical or sensory challenges that may prevent them from understanding

A third-party written consent must:

• Be in writing. The written statement can be uploaded to your DisasterAssistance.gov account, mailed, faxed or brought into a Disaster Recovery Center.
  • Mail or fax to:
    FEMA National Processing Service Center
    P.O. Box 10055
    Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055
    
    Fax:  800-827-8112
  • Verbal permission is only accepted when both the survivor and the third party are present at a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center or while calling the FEMA Helpline.
• Verify identity. The survivor must state their full name, current address, date and place of birth as well as their application number.
• Be signed by the survivor. By signing the document, the survivor agrees that the information is truthful.
• Include an individual identifier. Including the application number will help a FEMA representative locate your application and expedite the process.
• Include information to be disclosed to the third party by FEMA.
• Identify the person or group to which the disclosure is being consented. This can be a friend, neighbor, relative or a representative such as an insurance agent.

Survivors must be able to successfully answer all verifications if they call the FEMA Helpline and request that the operator speak to a third party on their behalf.

How to Contact FEMA

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) any time
• Download the FEMA mobile app

For the latest information on Hurricane Ida visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/FEMARegion6 and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.