Form FEMA Form 519-0-1 FEMA Form 519-0-1 Public Assitance Customer Satisfaction Survey (Focus Gro

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

OMB Control No. 1660-0107
Expires August 31, 2015

PAPERWORK BURDEN DISCLOSURE NOTICE: Public reporting burden for this survey is estimated to average 20 minutes per response. The burden estimate includes
the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and submitting this survey. You are not
required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. This collection of information is voluntary. Send comments regarding the
accuracy of the burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to: Information Collections Management, Department of Homeland Security, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20472, Paperwork Reduction Project (1660-0107). NOTE: Do not send your completed
questionnaire to this address.
PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT AUTHORITY: Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), 5 U.S.C. Ch. 3 as amended and the GPRA of 2010 (P.L. 111-352);
Executive Order (EO) 12862, "Setting Customer Service Standards;" and its March 23, 1995 Memorandum addendum, "Improving Customer Service; Executive Order
13411 "Improving Assistance for Disaster Victims;" ; Executive Order 13571 "Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service;" and its June 13, 2011
Memorandum "Implementing Executive Order 13571 on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service." PRINCIPAL PURPOSE(S): DHS/FEMA collects
this information to measure Public Assistance applicants' customers satisfaction with FEMA services. ROUTINE USE(S): This information is used for the principal purpose
(s) noted above and will not be shared outside of DHS/FEMA, except as allowed under DHS/FEMA-009 - Hazard Mitigation Assistance, Public Assistance, and Disaster
Loan System of Records (Date, FR reference), or as required by law.
DISCLOSURE: The disclosure of information on this form is strictly voluntary and will assist FEMA is making improvements to its Public Assistance program; failure to
provide the information requested will not impact the provision of FEMA Public Assistance to qualified entities.

FEMA PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
Please answer the following questions about your experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public
Assistance Program. Your answers will help improve FEMA's response in future disasters. If you cannot answer this questionnaire, please
pass this questionnaire on to the appropriate person in your office.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
The following questions ask for general information about your
background.
What was the disaster type, declaration date, State involved, and
disaster number of your most recent disaster where FEMA provided
assistance?

2. For what type(s) of project(s) did you apply?
Not applicable, state grantee (skip to question 4)
All large projects (over $##,### in FY XX) (skip to question 4)

Type (flood, tornado, etc.)

All small projects ($##,### and under)

Date declared (month, year)

More large than small projects
More small than large projects

State involved

Equal number of large and small projects

Disaster number, if known

1. What is your organization type and your position?
State Grantee (after selection of State Grantee position skip to Q4)

3. If you applied for all large projects, please mark "not applicable" and go to
question 4. Applicants have the option of writing their own Project
Worksheet(s) for small projects. For the small projects for which you
applied, did you choose to write your own Project Worksheet(s):

State Director

All of the time

Governor's Authorized Representative (GAR)

Most of the time

Alternate GAR

Half of the time

Public Assistance Officer (PAO)

Some of the time

Deputy PAO

Never

State Coordinating Officer (SCO)

Not applicable, did not apply for small projects

Assistant SCO
Other

4. Overall, how satisfied are you with the Public Assistance PROGRAM?

Tribal Grantee

Very satisfied

Subgrantee

Satisfied

Local government

Slightly satisfied

State subgrantee

Slightly dissatisfied (skip to question 4a)

Special district

Dissatisfied (skip to question 4a)

Private non-profit

Very dissatisfied (skip to question 4a)

Indian tribe/tribal organization/native village
Other
FEMA Form 519-0-1

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4a. What specifically were you dissatisfied with?

7. How satisfied were you with staff's communication of information?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Never dealt with staff
8. How satisfied were you with the information FEMA provided you
concerning the availability of Public Assistance mitigation funding?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Did not receive any information on mitigation

5. Overall, how satisfied are you with the Public Assistance PROCESS?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Slightly satisfied

PERSONAL INTERACTION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

Slightly dissatisfied (skip to 5a)

The following questions concern your interaction with staff.

Dissatisfied (skip to 5a)

9. The field staff understood the eligibility requirements:

Very dissatisfied (skip to 5a)

All of the time
Most of the time
More than half of the time

5a. What specifically were you dissatisfied with?

Less than half of the time
Some of the time
Never
Do not know
10. The field staff that conducted the site visit(s) were competent and
understood the types of damage they were assessing:
All of the time
Most of the time
More than half of the time
Less than half the time
Some of the time
Never
Do not know
Not applicable-No site visit(s) necessary because always wrote
own Project Worksheet(s)

INFORMATION
The following questions pertain to your initial contact with FEMA.

Not applicable-Site visit(s) not yet conducted
11. The field staff that conducted the site visit(s) understood the local
conditions that could influence the rebuilding process.
Strongly agree

6. How satisfied were you with the PUBLISHED INFORMATION FEMA
PROVIDED ON THE Public Assistance Program (e.g., documents on
FEMA's website, documents received at the Kickoff Meeting, etc.)?

Agree
Slightly agree

Very satisfied
Satisfied

Slightly disagree
Disagree

Slightly satisfied

Strongly disagree
Do not know

Slightly dissatisfied

Not applicable-No site visit(s) necessary because always wrote own
Project Worksheet(s)

Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied

Not applicable-Site visit(s) not yet conducted

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12. How reliable were the decisions and information you received from staff?
Very reliable

17a. How satisfied were you with the amount of Public Assistance
mitigation funding you received?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Do not know

Reliable
Slightly reliable
Slightly unreliable
Unreliable
Very unreliable
Do not know
13. Was staff turnover a problem?

18. If FEMA conducted a site visit, FEMA conducted the Project
Worksheet site visit(s):

Yes
No
Do not know

Too soon after the disaster
At the right time
Too late to be helpful
Do not know
Site visit(s) not yet conducted

14. Overall, how satisfied were you with the CUSTOMER SERVICE provided
by staff?
Very satisfied
Satisfied

Not applicable-No site visit(s) necessary because always wrote
own Project Worksheet(s)

Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

19. If FEMA developed the scope(s) of work, how satisfied were you
with their development?

Very dissatisfied

Very satisfied

15. Overall, how satisfied were you with the responsiveness provided by
staff?

Satisfied
Slightly satisfied

Very satisfied
Satisfied

Slightly dissatisfied

Slightly satisfied

Dissatisfied

Slightly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Do not know

Very dissatisfied

Not applicable-Always wrote own Project
Worksheet(s)

PROJECT WORKSHEET PROCESS
The following questions relate to the Project Worksheet process. *
*Note; Not all questions may apply to you. Some questions ask about
very specific Project Worksheet activities. Please mark "not applicable,"
where appropriate.

20. If FEMA identified damage repair cost estimates, how satisfied were you
with these estimates?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

16. Overall, how satisfied were you with the Project Worksheet process?
Very satisfied
Satisfied

Very dissatisfied
Do not know

Slightly satisfied

Cost estimates not yet completed

Slightly dissatisfied

Not applicable-Always wrote own Project Worksheet(s)

Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
17. Did you receive Public Assistance mitigation funding?

21. If you wrote your own Project Worksheet(s), how satisfied were you with
completing your Project Worksheet(s) in terms of its complexity, your
time invested, and the availability of necessary information?
Very satisfied

Yes, received funding (Skip to 17a)

Satisfied

No, applied for but did not receive funding (skip to Question 18)

Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied

Do not know (skip to question 18)

Dissatisfied

Not applicable-Did not apply for funding
(skip to Question 18)

Very dissatisfied
Not applicable-Did not write any Project Worksheet(s)

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D. In relation to providing funds:

22. If you had any small projects, and you chose not to write your own Project
Worksheet(s), please briefly explain why you asked FEMA to write your
Project Worksheet(s).

Very satisfied
Satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied

24. How reasonable were administrative requirements for the
following?
A. Overall program
Very reasonable
Reasonable
Slightly reasonable
Slightly unreasonable
Unreasonable
Very unreasonable
B. Pre-disaster documentation
Very reasonable
Reasonable
Slightly reasonable
Slightly unreasonable
Unreasonable
PROGRAM RESULTS

Very unreasonable

The next questions pertain to the overall results of the Public Assistance
Program.

C. Project Worksheet review
Very reasonable
Reasonable

23. How satisfied were you with FEMA's timeliness:

Slightly reasonable

A. Overall:

Slightly unreasonable

Very satisfied

Unreasonable
Very unreasonable

Satisfied
Slightly satisfied

D. Payment of claims

Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

Very reasonable

Very dissatisfied

Reasonable
Slightly reasonable

B. In relation to providing information:

Slightly unreasonable

Very satisfied

Unreasonable

Satisfied

Very unreasonable

Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
C. In relation to making eligibility decisions:
Very satisfied
Satisfied

ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES
The next questions are related to Public Assistance Alternative
Procedures which you may have elected to use for permanent work and
debris removal projects.

25. Were you offered the opportunity to participate in the
Alternative Procedures?

Slightly satisfied

Yes (skip to 25a)

Slightly dissatisfied

No (skip to Q32)

Dissatisfied

Don't know/Don't remember (skip to Q32)

Very dissatisfied

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25a. Did you decide to participate?
Yes (skip to Q26)
Started to but then opted out (skip to Q25b)

The next questions relate to the impact of the Alternative
Procedures on your current level of recovery.
27. How would you rate the Alternative Procedures on improving
the speed of your recovery? Would you say:

No (skip to Q25b)

Excellent

Don't know/Don't remember (skip to Q32)

Good
Satisfactory

25b. What were your reasons for not participating in the Public
Assistance Alternative Procedures?

Below average (skip to Q27a)
Poor (skip to Q27a)
No opinion
Too early to determine

27a. What changes could FEMA make to this program to improve
your speed of recovery?

Thinking about the program elements that influenced
your decision to participate, would you say:
26a.The incentives were:
Very important
Important
Not very important

28. How effective have the Alternative Procedures been in
improving your recovery?

Not at all important

Excellent
Good

26b. Was the flexibility of the program

Satisfactory

Very important

Below average (skip to Q28a)

Important

Poor (skip to Q28a)

Not very important

No opinion

Not at all important

Too early to determine

26c. What other factors influenced your decision to participate?

28a. What changes are needed to improve the effectiveness?

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29. How satisfied are you with the estimates used for your pilot
program projects?

31. In the future, should you need to apply for a Public Assistance
grant, how likely are you to use the Alternate Procedures option?

Very satisfied

Definitely use

Satisfied

Probably use

Slightly satisfied

Might or might not use

Slightly dissatisfied (skip to Q29a)

Probably would not use

Dissatisfied (skip to Q29a)

Definitely would not use

Very dissatisfied (skip to Q29a)

Don't know/No opinion

No opinion
Too early to determine

29a. What changes are needed to improve your satisfaction with the

32. What additional recommendations do you have for improving the
alternative procedures?

estimates?

Thinking about this disaster and Public Assistance Overall
30. If the independent expert panel was used on your projects, how
satisfied are you with the panel process?
Very satisfied

33. Is there anything you would have liked FEMA to have done
differently during this disaster recovery?

Satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Slightly dissatisfied (skip to Q30a)
Dissatisfied (skip to Q30a)
Very dissatisfied (skip to Q30a)
No opinion
Too early to determine
Did not use expert panel

30a. What changes are needed to improve the panel process?

Submit by E-mail [email protected]

34. Please provide any additional comments or suggestions regarding
the Public Assistance Program.

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