[FoCHAT] CHAT: COX10; Elevation; MONDAY, LRA Bd. Mtg.; Misery Index

Sun Apr 20 11:42:36 PDT 2008

Dear Concerned Citizen,

  1. COX10: April 9 meeting is continuing to be shown this week: Sun., 4/20, 2 PM; Wed., Apr. 23, 5 PM; Sat., Apr. 26, 3 PM.

  2. Elevation
  If you have questions about the elevation grants or if, by the end of the month, you have not received your elevation letter, to which you think you are entitled, FoCHAT (Friends of CHAT) member Angelo Silvestri tells us that you can:

  Call  877-234-1513 ( Road Home Elevation Technical Assistance Hot Line)

  If you have any thoughts of possibly elevating your home and receive this letter, you can fill out and send back BOTH the Road Home Incentive form and the HMGP elevation grant form. These forms do not obligate you.

  3. Road Home Misery Index
  We hear over and over about applicants who were understandably confused about how to initiate an appeal (TWO independent actions required, not just one; fill in form at closing AND send letter after closing). These applicants certainly deserve a second chance to appeal under an approved appeals procedure (not vague, much fairer to applicants, transparent) with a full copy of their Road Home file.
  An applicant who took our survey http://chatforfairness.org last Thursday.
  "I was just told by Road Home we cannot appeal our compensation grant award, because we had 90  days from receiving the money to do this. When we went into the Road Home office for the "closing" we signed a paper stating we were dissatisfied with the award amount AT THAT TIME. The only reason we went in for the lesser award is the Road Home (and local press) kept emphasizing that the money might get depleted and some people might not get any award. So we went in on that basis, accepted the initial grant and SIGNED A STATEMENT WITH THE OTHER GRANT PAPERS INDICATING WE WERE NOT SATISFIED. At no time did any Road Home official tell us other action, including a written appeal withing 90 days, would be needed. We had been waiting for further contact from the Road Home and then saw the article in the N.O. Times-Picayune on people who appeal getting larger awards. I then called the Road Home about the status of our appeal, and was told we had no appeal, and that we were not
 eligible to appeal."

  Another applicant who took our survey last Thursday. If PALs are acting in the place of dispute resolution members, why is it that some applicants are still waiting to be assigned a PAL (as we continue to hear from multiple applicants) or have trouble getting usable information from them or even returned phone calls?
  "They refuse to tell me who is handling my appeal. They will not connect me with a resolution member. They just say it is in review. It's been almost 5 months now." 

  An applicant who took our survey last Friday and is still stuck in the grant processing stage and applied in Sept. 2006.
  "We have been given the run around, transferred from one agent to another and told we would be called back. This has been the most frustrating and agonizing process. We feel as though we are still going to the storm, but this storm is worst than the first one. The frustration we feel is indescribable. HELP us become whole. We are drowning.....
  DOES ANYONE CARE about the injustice........"

  Yes, CHAT and members like you care about the injustice!

  Another applicant who took our survey last Friday and had a zero award.
  "We gave up because the application experience was so gut wrenching that we gave up. Our neighbor whose house was similar but smaller and had similar damage as ours was given $150,000 by road home. Both of us received about $87,000 from insurance
 Our house is for sale and we are getting the hell out of Louisiana as soon as the house sells. We pray every day for a sale."

  This is a very sad outcome that we hope will be minimized by fairer policies and correction of past mistakes (including unfair zero-awards) by the LRA before they run out of money.

  4. LRA Board Meeting (see below)
The public can make 2-3 min of polite comments about Road Home, usually at the end of the Housing Section. You don't have to come for the whole morning session to do so. When you arrive, look for the sergeant-at-arms (or ask for him) and fill out a public comments card, if you want to speak.

  Best wishes,

  Melanie

Louisiana Recovery Authority <info at louisianarecoveryauthority.org> wrote: 

  Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:28:32 -0500 (CDT)
From: Louisiana Recovery Authority <info at louisianarecoveryauthority.org>
To: mehrlich8 at yahoo.com
Subject: MONDAY: LRA Board of Directors to Meet in Baton Rouge

                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
  April 18, 2008
  MEDIA CONTACT:
  Christina Stephens
Louisiana Recovery Authority
225.342.1790
christina.stephens at la.gov

MONDAY: LRA Board of Directors to Meet in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) board of directors will meet Monday, April 21 at 9 a.m. on the campus of the Baton Rouge Community College. 
  The LRA board is scheduled to discuss and vote on using $30 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to create a Statewide Generator Program and transferring funds for the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps (LFRC). 
  The board will also hear updates from LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Office of Community Development (OCD), the Department of Health and Hospitals and Road Home contractor ICF International.

   Click here to download the agenda.
  WHAT: LRA Board Meeting
  WHEN: 9 a.m. on April 21, 2008
  WHERE: Baton Rouge Community College - Louisiana Boardroom, Louisiana Building
5310 Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge, La.

   Click here for directions.
  ** All meetings are open to the public. Meeting times and locations subject to change.
  Meeting agendas and minutes are posted online at www.lra.louisiana.gov as they become available.
  Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. 
  ###

                              Louisiana Recovery Authority | P.O. Box 94004 | Baton Rouge, LA. 70804-9004  Unsubscribe       
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