Grantee responsibilities include ensuring that all potential applicants are aware of available PA and submitting documents necessary for the award of public assistance grants. Grantees must submit an applicant’s completed RPA to the FEMA Regional Administrator within 30 days after designation of the area where the damage occurred. FEMA accepts RPAs through PA Grants Portal. The Grantee created and distributed a Fact Sheet to the applicants on how to directly submit RPAs to FEMA Grants Portal, however the Applicant submitted its RPA through the wrong website, and submitted after the 30-day deadline. FEMA may extend this deadline if the grantee requests an extension and provides justification for it in writing. The justification must be based on extenuating circumstances beyond the grantee’s or applicant’s control. The Applicant argued four points for its late RPA submission: (1) incorrect information about the submittal process that the Applicant’s claim would be part of a county-wide claim; (2) extraordinary workloads in the office due to COVID-19 and medical vacancies; (3) a lack of access to Grantee expertise; and (4) a lack of its own expertise. None of these constitute extenuating circumstances beyond its control to justify an extension to the RPA deadline.

The Applicant has not demonstrated extenuating circumstances beyond its control to justify submitting its RPA after the required deadline. Therefore, the second appeal is denied.

44 C.F.R. § 206.202(b), (c), (f)(2). PAPPG, at 36. Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority, FEMA-4542-DR-SC, at 2; N. Miami Beach Med. Ctr., FEMA-4337-DR-FL, at 3; Kapoho Kai Water Ass’n, FEMA-4366-DR-HI, at 2-3.