Community
1,400 LA fire households face loss of disaster case managers
About 1,400 households affected by the 2025 Los Angeles fires could lose their disaster case managers after October 31 as a funding dispute between California and FEMA continues.
Kevin Nha / FEMA via DVIDS, public domain; archival January 2025 photograph, not the current funding dispute.
Associated Press reporting published October 16 found that California plans to end the state-managed Disaster Case Management Program at the close of October. Case managers help survivors navigate insurance disputes, FEMA appeals, housing needs, employment changes and gaps between insurance payments and rebuilding costs.
FEMA had approved $13.2 million for 24 months of case-management work after the January 2025 fires, according to the AP. California officials said scheduled reimbursements arrived late, forcing the state to cover costs in the meantime. FEMA later paid the outstanding installments, but the agency had not answered California's March request for another $6.5 million to meet higher-than-expected demand.
Households facing loss of service: About 1,400
Households still waiting for a case manager: About 700
Current program end date: October 31, 2026
Case-management jobs at risk: More than 100
Earlier funding announcement did not settle the dispute
FEMA announced $11 million in additional disaster case-management funding on September 30, including money connected to the 2025 Los Angeles fires and the 2023 winter storms. The AP reported that California's separate request for the additional money needed to sustain the Los Angeles fire program through its planned term remained unanswered.
Los Angeles County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath said they would ask the Board of Supervisors on October 20 to prepare bridge funding and other support if federal money does not keep the program operating. Their proposal calls for a rapid review of county resources and prioritizing households at greatest risk of homelessness.
Original reporting: Associated Press — October 16, 2026 →
Official sources: Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger — October 6, 2026 → · FEMA — September 30, 2026 →