Should I report disaster relief grants when certifying for EDD benefits?
I've been on UI since losing my job at a restaurant back in January 2025. My apartment building was damaged in the recent wildfires in Northern California, and I just received a $3,200 disaster relief grant from FEMA to help with temporary housing and replacing some belongings. When I'm certifying for my UI benefits this week, do I need to report this grant money as income? I don't see anything specific about disaster assistance on the certification questions that asks about other income. Has anyone dealt with this situation before? I don't want to make a mistake and get hit with an overpayment notice later, but I also really need both the unemployment and disaster assistance right now.
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Olivia Kay
i had flood damage last yr and got fema $$ too. didnt report it to edd and had no problems. its not income from work so your good
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Henry Delgado
•Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you end up getting any notification from EDD or FEMA about it later? I'm just nervous about doing something wrong and having to pay back benefits.
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Joshua Hellan
You actually DON'T need to report disaster assistance grants when certifying for UI. FEMA disaster grants aren't considered income for unemployment purposes. The "other income" question on the certification form is primarily asking about work-related income, pension payments, or other benefits that might affect your unemployment eligibility. Disaster assistance is considered emergency relief, not income. You can safely receive both your full UI benefits and the FEMA assistance without one affecting the other. I went through this during the coastal floods in 2024 and confirmed this with an EDD representative directly.
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Jibriel Kohn
•Wait, are you 100% sure about this??? I thought ANY money we get from ANYWHERE has to be reported!!! I got LIHEAP assistance for my utility bills last month and I reported it when I certified and now my claim is pending for review. Did I mess up my claim by over-reporting? This is so confusing!
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Edison Estevez
My brother got some disaster money after the earthquakes last year and EDD made him pay back some benefits later. Something about duplicate benefits or whatever. But that might have been cuz he also got some kind of special disaster unemployment thing? Idk the whole system is a mess
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Joshua Hellan
•There's an important distinction here. Your brother may have received Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), which is different from regular FEMA grants. You can't collect both DUA and regular UI at the same time - that would be duplicate benefits. But standard FEMA disaster grants for housing, property damage, etc. don't affect regular UI benefits at all.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
I work for a disaster relief organization and can confirm that FEMA grants for disaster recovery do NOT need to be reported as income when certifying for UI benefits. These are two separate programs with different purposes. UI replaces lost wages from employment FEMA grants help with disaster-related expenses The certification question about "other income" is specifically asking about income that would replace wages (like part-time work, self-employment income, pension payments, etc.). Disaster assistance is categorized differently. However, if you received Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) instead of regular UI, that's a different situation and would need to be reported.
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Henry Delgado
•Thank you so much for the clear explanation! This is definitely just a regular FEMA grant for housing displacement and personal property losses, not DUA. I feel much better about not reporting it now.
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James Johnson
THE EDD SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!! I reported everything honestly on my certifications last year and STILL got hit with an overpayment notice 8 months later!!! Now they want $6,400 back that I DON'T HAVE!!! Whatever you do, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and save copies of all your certifications!!!
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Sophia Rodriguez
•I know exactly how you feel! I spent WEEKS trying to get through to EDD about an overpayment notice. I finally gave up calling and used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a rep. They got me connected to an actual EDD person in under 30 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. The rep was able to see that my overpayment was actually a system error and got it fixed right away. Might be worth trying if you're still fighting your overpayment.
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Edison Estevez
my cousin works at edd and she says theres like a HUGE difference between income and assistance. the computer system is looking for stuff that would make you ineligible for ui like if you made too much money from working. fema money isnt from working so it doesnt count
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Jibriel Kohn
•Does your cousin know about LIHEAP? Is that considered assistance too? I'm so worried I messed up my claim by reporting it! 😫
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
To clear up some confusion in this thread: DO report: - Wages from work (part-time, temporary, etc.) - Self-employment income - Pension payments - Vacation/PTO payouts - Severance pay - Workers' compensation benefits - State Disability Insurance (SDI) DON'T report: - FEMA disaster assistance grants - Charitable assistance - LIHEAP utility assistance - Food stamps/CalFresh - Regular tax refunds - Stimulus payments - Housing assistance The EDD certification form specifically asks about income that would impact your eligibility for unemployment. One-time assistance payments from disaster relief or social programs don't fall into this category. If you're ever unsure, the safest approach is to contact EDD directly for clarification about your specific situation.
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Olivia Kay
•this should be pinned somewhere! so many confusing answers online about this stuff
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Henry Delgado
Thank you all for the helpful responses! I feel much better about not reporting the FEMA grant on my certification now. I'll make sure to keep all my documentation just in case there are any questions later. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge!
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