Fairness and Accountability of Appeals Act of 2025

This bill would make the federal disaster agency pay back your attorney’s fees if you challenge a disaster aid decision and win. It adds a rule to the appeals process under the main federal disaster law so that, when an applicant wins an appeal or arbitration, the agency must reimburse the lawyer costs tied to that fight.

In short, if you believe the agency got your disaster aid decision wrong, and you appeal or go to arbitration and the decision comes out in your favor, you won’t be stuck paying the attorney’s bill for that process anymore.

• Who is affected: People or groups applying for federal disaster assistance who file an appeal or seek arbitration of a decision.
• What changes: If the appeal or arbitration ends in a win for the applicant, the agency must reimburse the applicant’s attorney’s fees related to that appeal or arbitration.
• When it applies: After this change becomes law, for cases where an applicant receives a favorable decision following an appeal or arbitration under the disaster law’s appeals section.