What is an Appeal?

An appeal is a formal written request from the Applicant to review a RLHP written decision regarding either an Award of Eligibility or a Decision of Ineligibility. Only the Applicant listed on the application, or an agent-in-fact for the Applicant, verified by executed power of attorney within the Applicant’s file, can file an appeal. If there are multiple applicants on the application, it is the responsibility of the Applicant(s) to designate only one applicant to file the appeal. The RLHP will only communicate with the Applicant who filed the appeal. If the Applicant has designated a third party to obtain information on their behalf, project staff will first verify the Communication Designee Form has been fully executed and uploaded in the Applicant’s file before speaking with the third party. Once an appeal has been submitted and a determination has been rendered by the program, the decision is final and is no longer an appealable issue. Appeals will not be accepted from non-applicants to the respective application. Only appeals filed prior to the execution of the grant agreement will be accepted.

Applicants are only able to appeal any of the following program determinations:

1. Program eligibility
2. Grant calculations prior to execution of grant agreement
3. Repair or Reimbursement Estimates limited to measurements of the home and quantities of damaged materials only
4. Duplication of benefits and
5. File closure.

Appeal Option

Once the award has been calculated and undergoes a quality control review, the Applicant is sent an email to notify them that their Grant Acknowledgement Letter is available for review and action in eGrants. It is at this time that the Applicant is notified in writing of the option to appeal their Grant Acknowledgement Letter. In the event a future policy change by the RLHP would positively impact the amount of an Applicant’s grant award, the grant will be recalculated accordingly and the Applicant will have the option to accept and sign a grant agreement with the updated grant award.

For award determinations received before October 5, 2018, applicants may appeal an award determination decision by filing an appeal prior to execution of the grant agreement, or by November 2, 2018, whichever occurs first. For award determinations received after October 5, 2018, an appeal must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days after the date of the award determination letter or prior to the execution of the grant agreement, whichever occurs first. In the event a future policy change by the Program would positively impact the amount of the grant award, the grant will be recalculated accordingly and the applicant will have the option to accept and sign a grant agreement with the updated grant award.

File an Appeal

Creation of Appeal The start of the appeals process begins with the completion and submission of an Appeals Form within eGrants in one of the following ways:

• eGrants – Access eGrants online by visiting http://egrants.restore.la.gov/egrantsplus/app/index.html.
• In person – Case Manager can assist the Applicant with filing an appeal in eGrants.
  • Note: The Case Manager should also ensure that each piece of supporting documentation for an appeal is saved separately with the appropriate naming convention. If an applicant provides the Program with supporting documentation that was not previously received, it should be scanned and saved separately in addition to being saved with the Appeal Supporting Documentation.

Follow the appeal instructions provided by the Restore Louisiana Homeowners Program Manual an use their Appeals Process Standard Operating Procedures to make sure you know how they are processing the appeal and how you need to format your appeals. 

As always, if you need assistance with this process use the contact form below. 

Download the states newest homeowners manual and the copy of the appeals process below. 

Research Resource: 

• Restore LA Homeowners Resources Program Policies
• Louisiana Restore Homeowners Program Appeals Process Standard Operating Procedures version 8.1 November 2018