BATON ROUGE - FEMA is offering a service that provides free legal assistance to disaster survivors who have fallen victim to disaster fraud.

Disaster Legal Services provides free legal assistance to low-income survivors who have been the victims of fraudulent contractors and other scammers. DLS will allow these victims to hire an attorney for issues after a declared disaster. 

Members of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will counsel, advise and provide legal representation in cases that don’t generate a fee. FEMA says survivors should also be aware of the limitations on DLS. 

For example, assistance is not available for cases that will produce a fee. Such cases are referred to a lawyer referral service.

DSL has assisted survivors with post-disaster related matters including:

• Insurance claims for doctor and hospital bills.
• Claims for property loss or loss of life.  
• Drawing up new wills or other legal papers
• Help with home repair contracts and contractors.
• Advice on problems with landlords.

To request legal help through DLS call 1-800-310-7029 or visit www.fema.gov orwww.disasterlegalaid.org