This information collection provides disaster survivors the opportunity to request approval of late applications, continued temporary housing assistance, request advance disaster assistance, stop payments not received in order to be reissued funds, and to appeal program decisions. This collection also allows for the establishment of an annual agreement between FEMA and states, territories, and tribal governments regarding how the Other Needs provision of IHP will be administered: by FEMA, by the state, territory, or tribal government, or jointly.
On August 16, 2021, FEMA requested emergency approval to increase the types of documentation FEMA may accept from applicants for disaster assistance to demonstrate eligibility under the IHP during the Disaster Assistance Registration period. FEMA had become aware that IHP requirements for verification of eligibility during registration were creating barriers to assistance. As a result, OMB approved our expansion of documentation acceptance during disaster assistance registration earlier this year.
Emergency approval of the proposed revisions to this collection is required to ensure FEMA is able to more efficiently administer the IHP assistance and evolve in order to more equitably support the ongoing pandemic response and meet the historical demands of disaster response. The ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, in concert with the current flu season and fluctuating restrictions have impacted the timely availability of essential services. Medical and dental providers sometimes require applications to pay for documentation or for providers to complete required forms. This poses additional barriers to disaster survivors by limiting their ability to obtain personal, public, and commercial records to verify their eligibility and further underscores the need for FEMA to rapidly implement alternatives to traditional means of verifying disaster survivor IHP eligibility.
PL:
Pub.L. 106 - 390 408
Name of Law: Robert T Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
US Code:
44 USC 206
Name of Law: Federal Disaster Assistance for Disasters Declared on or after November 23 1988
The decrease in annual cost burden for the Appeal of Program Decision / No Form instrument is due to a decrease in the number of years included in review period. There was also a duplicate of the former 009-0-95S labeled as 009-0-95 that was removed due to that duplication. All instruments had a slight increase in Average Burden per Response due to a change in how they were rounded (to the tenth instead of to the hundredth).
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Autorización para la Divulgación de Información bajo el Acta de Privacidad