What Happened?

People with disabilities are being approved for FEMA disaster aid at a lower rate than survivors without disabilities, according to a new federal audit. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that applicants with disabilities were approved for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance grants at a rate four percentage points lower than those without disabilities, based on data from 2022 through 2025.

The audit also found that FEMA's application process contains barriers that make it harder for people with disabilities to navigate, including unclear questions and eligibility letters written at a 12th-grade reading level. FEMA has not solicited feedback from people with disabilities on its overall grant application process, limiting its ability to ensure accessibility, the GAO found.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

FEMA's individual assistance grants can help survivors replace assistive devices and medically required equipment after a disaster. According to the National Council on Disability, people with disabilities are far more likely than people without disabilities to face hardship due to a major disaster.

The audit identified several specific gaps affecting this population:

  • FEMA removed partner training on assisting people with disabilities from its curriculum in 2025, and it has not been offered in more than a year.
  • The disability specialist role is not standardized, and coordination with state and local partners has been inconsistent across regions.
  • Door-to-door assistance teams, which helped people with disabilities apply for grants, have been discontinued.

Both Sides, Now

The GAO conducted its review under a mandate from the Think Differently About Emergencies Act, which directed the agency to examine how FEMA supports people with disabilities. Researchers interviewed FEMA officials, disability-focused organizations, and state and local officials in Hawaii, Louisiana, and Kentucky.

FEMA officials told the GAO that the agency removed partner training in 2025 to ensure compliance with various executive orders. State and local officials described FEMA's regional disability coordinators as beneficial, but the audit found that coordination has been inconsistent across regions.

The GAO made three recommendations to FEMA, and the agency agreed with all three. That agreement signals FEMA accepts the findings, though agreeing with a recommendation and acting on it are separate steps. Congress can press FEMA to follow through through oversight hearings and the annual spending process, but no vote on this issue is currently scheduled.

What Happens Next?

All three GAO recommendations remain open, meaning FEMA has not yet taken the steps needed to satisfy them. The recommendations call on FEMA to:

  • Restore training for state and local partners on helping people with disabilities during disasters.
  • Standardize the disability specialist role across all regions.
  • Collect feedback from people with different types of disabilities on the grant application process, including plain-language use.

The GAO typically follows up on open recommendations within a year to assess whether agencies have acted. Until FEMA implements the changes, the gaps the audit identified, including the absence of partner training and an untested application process, remain in place for the next disaster.

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