Subject centers

FEMA Public Assistance Subject Centers

Every GovStar resource on one subject, in one place: the PAPPG rules, key takeaways, deep dives, FAQs, FEMA policies, laws and tools. Pick the subject you are working on.

New to Public Assistance? Start with PA Program Basics & Grant Lifecycle or answer two questions in Start Here.

Respond to the disaster

The first days and weeks: declarations, damage, emergency work and debris.

FEMA DeclarationsHow disasters are declared: the Stafford Act process, PDAs, declaration factors, incident periods and designated areas.Open center → Damage Assessment & ImpactsFrom preliminary damage assessments to the impact list and site inspections: documenting damage, pre-disaster condition and the 50 percent rule.Open center → Emergency ResponseCategory B emergency protective measures: what FEMA funds to save lives and protect property, sheltering, EOCs, mutual aid, mission assignments and expedited funding.Open center → DebrisCategory A debris removal: eligibility, public interest, private property, hazardous trees and stumps, monitoring, estimates and documentation.Open center →

Manage costs and resources

Turning damage into funded projects and proving every dollar.

Scoping & Project FormulationTurning damage into projects: scopes of work, small and large project thresholds, completed work, sampling and simplified procedures.Open center → Cost EstimatingBuild cost estimates FEMA will accept: estimating methods, cost data like RSMeans, the CEF, validation, fixed-cost risk and estimate-based funding under reform.Open center → Cost Eligibility & DocumentationWhich costs FEMA reimburses and how to prove them: reasonable costs, ineligible costs, management costs and the records that support every claim.Open center → Force Account Labor & EquipmentYour own employees and equipment: labor eligibility, overtime and fringe, backfill, equipment rates, supplies and documentation.Open center → Procurement & ContractingFederal procurement under grants: methods, thresholds, competition, emergency contracting, required clauses and common mistakes.Open center →

Rebuild and mitigate

Permanent repairs, project options and building back stronger.

Facility & Work EligibilityThe basic tests every project must pass: eligible facilities, eligible work, legal responsibility, inactive and leased facilities.Open center → Permanent Work (Categories C–G)Restoring roads, bridges, water control, buildings, utilities and parks: eligible work, codes and standards, and facility-specific rules.Open center → Hazard MitigationSection 406 mitigation in PA projects, cost-effective measures, codes and standards, and how mitigation fits with resilience funding.Open center → Alternate & Improved ProjectsImproved and alternate projects, relocation, and repair-versus-replacement decisions, with their funding limits.Open center → Section 428 / Alternative ProceduresSection 428 alternative procedures: fixed-cost estimates and offers, capped projects, use of excess funds, and 428 as the model for reform.Open center →

Meet federal requirements

Eligibility, compliance reviews, policy, appeals and closeout.

PA Program Basics & Grant LifecycleNew to Public Assistance? How the program works from declaration to closeout, key terms, laws and regulations, and where to start.Open center → Applicant & PNP EligibilityWho can apply: governments, tribes and private nonprofits, the Request for Public Assistance, mixed-use facilities and the SBA loan requirement.Open center → Environmental & HistoricEnvironmental and historic preservation review: NEPA, Section 106, ESA, floodplains and wetlands, permits and the documents EHP needs.Open center → FEMA PoliciesThe PAPPG and FEMA Public Assistance policies, guides and memos, with what applies to your disaster.Open center → Grant Management & CloseoutAfter obligation: payments, scope changes, progress reports, deadlines, monitoring, reconciliation, closeout and record retention.Open center → Appeals & ArbitrationDeterminations, RFIs, first and second appeals, CBCA arbitration, and OIG and GAO oversight.Open center →

Disaster fiscal resiliency

Insurance, risk financing and how FEMA reform changes disaster funding.

Insurance & Duplication of BenefitsInsurance requirements and reductions, obtain-and-maintain, duplication of benefits, other federal funding, and parametric coverage.Open center → FEMA ReformRAPID, H.R. 4669 and the Review Council report: what upfront and parametric funding would change, and how to prepare.Open center →

GovStar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. Summaries are educational, not legal advice; always confirm against the current PAPPG and your FEMA and state contacts.