Katrina Victims May Have to Repay Money

[CatWoman]

NEW ORLEANS — Imagine that your home was reduced to mold-covered wood framing by Hurricane Katrina. Desperate for money to rebuild, you engage in a frustrating bureaucratic process, and after months of living in a government provided-trailer that gives off formaldehyde fumes you finally win a federal grant.

Then a collector announces that you have to pay back thousands of dollars.

Thousands of Katrina victims may be in the same boat.

A private contractor under investigation for the compensation it received to run the Road Home grant program for Katrina victims says that in the rush to deliver aid to homeowners in need some people got too much. Now it wants to hire a separate company to collect millions in grant overpayments.

The contractor, ICF International of Fairfax, Va., revealed the extent of the overpayments when it issued a March 11 request for bids from companies willing to handle "approximately 1,000 to 5,000 cases that will necessitate collection effort."

The bid invitation said: "The average amount to be collected is estimated to be approximately $35,000, but in some cases may be as high as $100,000 to $150,000."

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Katrina_Collections.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

[Earth_First]

1. Just let it go.

Collect it from ICF International seeing as they were the individuals charged with such a responsibility to handle these grants. Let them become responsible for mishandling that responsibility.

[Dr. Strange]

11. Nice idea.

:thumbsup:

[Pastiche423]

12. Agreed

It was the ICF International's mistake. Make them eat it.

[KamaAina]

2. ICF International. Today's Worst. Person. In The World!

My go-to NOLA blogger has a word for scum like this. The word is "fuckmook".

[babylonsister]

3. One slap in the face after another; so their screw-up is now the

homeowners' responsibility?

[samdogmom]

4. This is so disgusting. How about the BILLION$ that have gone missing in Iraq????

Let's investigate Cheney, et. al. and let the poor, displaced citizens of New Orleans alone. They've suffered enough.

By the way, how many still haven't been able to move back into their homes?

[Booster]

14. Hell, let's investigate the Pentagon who lost a couple of trillion.

[southern_belle]

5. This makes me sick!!!

Will this ever end for the people who have suffered due to Katrina and Rita? It's like they keep kicking them while they are down. This is f___ing unbelieveable!!! :mad:

PLEASE kick and recc so the rest of the country won't forget about the continual victimization of the citizens of the Gulf Coast.

Thank You,
sb

[PA Democrat]

6. I'm sick of hearing about "personal responsibility". It's time for some "corporate responsibility".

Take it out of the company's profits. You know they made big bucks if they were awarded a contract from the Bush administration.

[marmar]

7. They're running out of ways to screw Katrina victims....

:argh:

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. New Orleans could have been rebuilt

with crystal mansions with the billions wasted in Iraq. Of course, even had Iraq NOT been invaded and occupied, there still would be no money for citizens of America.

[1776Forever]

9. It is truly sick that when times get tough the people who need the help most are 1st ones harassed!

Just like the lady that is in the Wal-Mart fiasco deal! Give us back our money - even though ....

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb. 19, 2008 -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) today reported its sales and earnings for the quarter ended Jan. 31, 2008. Net sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008 were $106.269 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent over the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007. Income from continuing operations for the quarter was $4.096 billion, an increase of 4.0 percent from $3.940 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007.

...........

:argh:

[bobbolink]

10. As long as they see it as their individual problem, they are sunk.

When we all start coming together and dealing with these things collectively, only then will it start to change.

[Donnachaidh]

13. If it's the contractor who gave out the money, the contractor should EAT IT.

It's obscene that they are trying to place the blame elswhere. THEY made the mistake - THEY should pay back FEMA the overpayments.

FEMA has been known to scream for re-payment after the fact. We had to deal with this sort of BS over a decade ago. It's NOT a new tactic for FEMA.