FEMA
Advisory
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell
announced today the agency has released the draft Public Assistance (PA)
Simplified Procedures policy to streamline and further simplify implementation
of the PA program, and to support rapid recovery for Applicants for public
comment. The policy will define FEMA’s simplified procedures and requirements
for Small Projects funded under the PA program, and is now available for public
comment and is posted on fema.gov and remain open through November 16, 2022.
PA Simplified Procedures
Policy
The draft policy
aims to reduce the administrative burden for Small Projects, support equitable
delivery of assistance to underserved communities, apply simplified procedures
in an appropriate and consistent manner, and enable communities to recover more
quickly after Presidentially declared events. Once finalized, the policy will
apply to all PA Small Projects funded under major disasters and emergencies
declared on or after the date of issuance. The policy does not apply to
Management Costs funded under Stafford Act Section 324 or Donated Resources.
The policy will
streamline requirements for providing documentation for eligible facilities,
work, and costs for Small Projects to include
acceptance of Applicants’ certified estimates and summary information for
cost. FEMA will accept the Applicant’s certifications for damage
and work, instead of it providing full or detailed documentation. The Applicant
must demonstrate that damage was caused directly by the declared incident.
Section
422 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42
U.S.C. § 5121 et seq (Stafford Act) authorizes the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) to provide funding on the basis of the Federal estimate for
projects with an estimated cost below a specified and established dollar
threshold and implement simplified procedures for projects below such
threshold. In August 2022, FEMA published a final rule to increase the small project
maximum for the agency’s PA program to $1 million (Small Project). This reduces
the administrative burden on State, Local, Tribal, or Territorial (SLTT)s and
Private Non-Profit (PNP)s receiving FEMA financial grants following a disaster.
A Small Project has costs below the threshold, while a large project has costs
equal to or above the $1 million threshold (Large Project). Once finalized,
this policy supersedes guidance pertaining to Small Projects in the Public Assistance
Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG) and establishes additional policy related
to Small Projects. All other requirements in the PAPPG apply.
Applicants
are not required to submit quarterly progress reports on small projects or
reconcile final costs, but must still comply with all application laws,
regulations, and policies. National emergency management partners have supported
FEMA issuing this policy to reduce administrative burdens, more efficiently use
resources, simplify the program for smaller applicants with smaller dollar
projects, and speed up the closure of projects.
The
Department of Homeland Security and FEMA are committed to providing equitable
and accessible recovery support to affected communities. FEMA intends to
continue adjusting the threshold annually to reflect changes in the Consumer
Price Index for All Urban Consumers and reviewing the base threshold every
three years. The $1 million threshold applies to all projects under major
disasters and emergencies declared on or after Aug. 3, 2022. The $1 million
threshold also applies to all unobligated PA projects in major disasters and
emergencies declared between March 13, 2020, and Aug. 3, 2022.
The
public comment period is open from October 17, 2022, through November 16,
2022. The draft policy is posted on the FEMA website at FEMA.gov.
All comments should be sent to FEMA-Recovery-PA-Policy@fema.dhs.gov.
Contact Us
If you have any
questions, please contact Office of External Affairs:
Private Sector Engagement at (202) 646-3444 or
at nbeoc@max.gov
