EXPEDITED FUNDING FOR COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE COSTS

FEMA has advised that Expedited Funding may be available for Covid-19 costs for applicants responding to the Covid-19 disaster. An agency or local government may have a cash flow need for funding to conduct response activities that address an immediate threat. If governments undertake these activities in response to a Presidentially-declared disaster, FEMA may provide expedited funding for Public Assistance Emergency Work projects. FEMA will base the funding amount on estimated costs instead of actual costs or site inspections, as is required for non-expedited projects.

The FEMA Covid-19 Expedited Funding policy guidance from FEMA should provide a reasonable outline of what to expect.

• FEMA may provide expedited funding for Emergency Work projects (Category B) that meet or exceed the large project threshold ($131,000).

•  FEMA funds Expedited Projects at 50 percent of the Federal share (75%) of the estimated project cost.

• Requests for Expedited Projects must be submitted to FEMA within a specific period. (Your State will advise)

• Applicants must provide enough information for FEMA to validate that the work and costs are eligible.

• Applicants must substantiate its legal responsibility for the work.

• Applicant needs to provide the estimates or actual costs broken down by the Applicant’s monthly (or bi-weekly) operational periods a limited timeframe(Could impact cost share % and balance of funding obligations)

Emergency Work projects for Covid-19 will be difficult to estimate due to the type of work conducted. Unlike Permanent Work, where a detailed SOW is usually determined and estimated with unit pricing in advance, the detailed scope of work to address Covid-19 Emergency Work is unknown and therefore, difficult to estimate in advance. Additionally, emergency response activities do not generally have established unit pricing and have a lot of variables that can impact pricing. If the Applicant provides sufficient information, FEMA may process Emergency Work projects based on estimates. Force Account labor could be based on daily estimates of related Covid-19 payroll costs. Actual costs for supplies and materials and contracts should also be used in estimates.

The Expedited Funding example below is NOT the official Covid-19 expedited funding policy which is expected to be quicker and easier, but provides an initial guide on the process.  Keep in mind that Expedited Funding must ultimately be reconciled and supported at a later date.

EXAMPLES of What types of costs are or may be  eligible? (FEMA Makes Final Deminationations)

• Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Operations Supplies, equipment, facility costs, increased utility costs. EOC Labor/Staffing Overtime labor for regular staff. All labor eligible for temporary staff performing eligible emergency work Staff the EOC with the numbers and skills necessary to support the response, assure worker safety, and continually monitor absenteeism. Use established systems to ensure continuity of operations (COOP) and implement COOP plans as needed.
• Meals for EOC employees Provision of meals, including beverages and meal supplies, for employees and volunteers engaged in eligible Emergency Work, including those at emergency operations centers, is eligible provided the individuals are not receiving per diem and one of the following circumstances apply: Meals are required based on a labor policy or written agreement, conditions constitute a level of severity that requires employees to work abnormal, extended work hours without a reasonable amount of time to provide for their own meals, or food or water is not reasonably available for employees to purchase.

• Safety equipment Personal protective equipment, traffic control for drive through sites, signs for drive through sites, lighting for drive through sites.
• Life sustaining commodities Food, water, ice, medicine, personal hygiene items, e.g. hand sanitizer and disinfectant for public health need. Includes protective equipment and hazardous material suits. Food and cleaning services for community members impacted by quarantine may be eligible. We encourage towns to track and document those costs, although we do not know yet whether FEMA will deem them eligible.
• COVID-19 Call Center Staffing and supplies. Establishment of call centers or other communication capacity for information sharing, public information, and directing residents to available resources, updating scripts for jurisdictional call centers with specific COVID-19 messaging (alerts, warnings, and notifications).
• Transportation of medical equipment and supplies Transportation of medical equipment (Oxygen equipment, Wheelchairs, Walkers, Hospital beds, Crutches, and other medical equipment) and consumable medical supplies that are ingested, injected, or applied or are for one-time use may be eligible.

• Private Lab Testing Medically necessary tests and diagnosis may be eligible if not covered by insurance, Medicare, Medicaid. Applicant must verify and provide documentation on a patient-by-patient basis verifying that insurance coverage or any other source funding including private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, has been pursued and does not exist for the costs associated with emergency medical care and emergency medical evacuations.

• Inoculation services Vaccinations for survivors and emergency workers to prevent outbreaks of infectious and communicable diseases may be eligible medical costs.
• Cleaning of Facilities Applicant would have to establish legal responsibility and provide justification with a request for FEMA consideration.
• Restock of consumables and medical supplies If consumables and medical supplies were used to lessen or eliminate an immediate threat required by COVID-19, this could be eligible.

• Messaging/Public Outreach Providing warnings and guidance about health and safety hazards using various strategies, such as flyers, public service announcements, or newspaper.

• Non-Congregate Sheltering The non-congregate sheltering must be at the direction of and documented through an official order signed by a state, local, or public health official and approved by FEMA in advance. Applicants must follow FEMA’s Procurement Under Grants Conducted Under Exigent or Emergency Circumstances guidance and include a termination for convenience clause in their contracts. The funding for non-congregate sheltering to meet the needs of the Public Health Emergency cannot be duplicated by another federal agency. Applicable Environmental and Historic Preservation laws, regulations, and executive orders apply and must be adhered to as a condition of assistance.

To request an expedited project, applicants must provide FEMA with detailed lists containing high-level descriptions of activities the applicant has performed, or will perform. PA activity descriptions must include:

- How the activities were or will be performed;

- How the threat created a necessity for action;

- Locations where activities were or will be performed; and

- Dates emergency work was or will be performed.