$3 billionin improper and potentially fraudulent FEMA payments identified since 2003
The Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General found FEMA had made more than $3 billion in improper and potentially fraudulent disaster assistance payments since 2003.
The cause, FEMA's own Inspector General found, is self-certification: FEMA pays home repair assistance on an applicant's own written statement rather than verified documentation, and FEMA told the Inspector General it keeps the gap because tighter verification would delay help to survivors.
Source: US Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. Read more: fema disaster assistance fraud