Utah Department of Public Safety

Public Assistance (PA) Program

COVID-19 Major Disaster Declaration

Declaration summary

On April 4, 2020, the President declared the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant a major declaration for the State of Utah,  pursuant to section 501 (b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121-5207). State, Territorial, Tribal, local government entities and certain private non-profit (PNP) organizations are eligible to apply for Public Assistance.　

In accordance with section 502 of the Stafford Act, eligible emergency protective measures taken to respond to the COVID-19 emergency at the direction or guidance of public health officials’ may be reimbursed under Category B of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program.

The Utah Division of Emergency Management (DEM) Recovery Section acts as the grantee for FEMAs Public Assistance program and is ready to assist potential applicants with applying for a Public Assistance subgrant and understanding eligibility requirements. DEM will present Applicant Briefings to provide an overview of the Public Assistance program process and requirements (date, time, and web location will be posted below).

The documents that will be included below will provide answers to frequently asked questions, including applicant eligibility, eligibility of emergency protective measures, procurement under emergency and exigent circumstances, guidance on how to submit requests for public assistance, and application documents.

Declaration scope

Major Declaration Event Number: FEMA-4525-DR-UT (DR-4525)
Name: Utah Covid-19 Pandemic
Declared Counties: All 29 of Utah’s Counties
Incident Period: Incident Period: January 20, 2020 and continuing

If you have questions, please contact Recovery Public Assistance at: esf14recovery@utah.gov
Procurements and Contracting questions should be directed to: esf14recovery@utah.gov
​

Region VIII FAQ UPDATE 

FEMA Region 8 Updated FAQ (updated 06.10.2020)

Guidance continues to change for COVID-19 response and recovery.
We will capture all new FEMA memos and FACT sheets here as we get them. You can also check FEMAs website for the latest. 

	COVID-19 Resource Matrix
FEMA Resources	State Resources	Other Resources
Public Assistance * PA Streamlined Project Application * Private Nonprofit Organizations Fact Sheet * PA Simplified Application Fact Sheet * Expedited Funding PA Job Aid * PA Applicant Quick Guide Streamlined Project Application * PA FEMA Job Aid * PA Purchase & Distribution of Food * FEMA Region VIII Policy Guidance: Purchase & Distribution of Food Eligibility * PA Frequently Asked Questions * Procurement Under Exigent or Emergency Situations * Emergency Medical Care Fact Sheet * Supply Chain Stabilization Fact Sheet * Assistance for Tribal Governments * Additional Assistance for Disasters Fact Sheet * COVID-19 Fact Sheet  * PA Program & Policy Guide * How to Submit a Request for Public Assistance Guide * Grants Portal Recipient User Manual * Purchase and Distribution of Food Eligible for PA * FEMA Schedule of Equipment Rates * FEMA COVID-19 Medical Care Cost Eligible for PA	* DEM Eligible FEMA Cat B Public Assistance  * DEM Guidance for Public Assistance * DEM PA Applicant Briefing Video * DEM PA Applicant Briefing Slides	* Tidal Basin PA Procurement & Reimbursement Process * USDA Disaster Household Distribution
Public Assistance Forms * Applicant Benefits Calculation Worksheet * Contract Work Summary Record * Force Account Equipment Summary Record * Force Account Labor Summary * Material Summary Record * Rented Equipment Summary Record
Non-Congregate Shelters * FEMA Non-Congregate Sheltering Frequently Asked Questions * FEMA EHP Fact Sheet * FEMA Floodplain Fact Sheet	* FEMA Letter Approving Utah’s Request for Non-Congregate Sheltering * DEM Non-Congregate Sheltering Fact Sheet * Non-Congregate Sheltering Extension Letter from FEMA	* Red Cross Sheltering Guidance  * Federal Health Resilience Task Force Alternate Care Site (ACS) Toolkit and Talking Points
Crisis Counseling	* Utah Mental Health & Crisis Counseling Resources	* National Disaster Distress Hotline
Small Business Administration	* DEM SBA Economic Injury Declaration Information	* SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to COVID-19
Other * Applying the Defense Production Act Fact Sheet * Disaster Financial Management Guide Fact Sheet * Disaster Financial Management Guide	* State of Utah Unified Command Strategic Plan * Governor Herbert Stay Safe Stay Home Directive * Utah Leads Together Plan * Utah Leads Together Plan 2.0 * Resources for Utah Businesses * Utah State Directives and Orders	* DOJ Emergency Supplemental Funding Program * Office of National Drug Control Policy Fact Sheet * USDA’s Federal Rural Resource Guide * HHS Office of Child Care COVID-19 Resources

Disaster recovery schedule and key meetings

APPLICANT’S BRIEFINGS
Applicant’s Briefings provide an overview to potential Applicants of FEMA’s Public Assistance Program, including eligible work, the grant process, and requirements. Utah DEM held a webinar Applicant’s Briefings on April 15, 2020. 

Applicant’s Briefing Video
Presentation

FEMA PROCUREMENT TRAINING:
The purpose of this training is to assist local governments in Utah apply for FEMA Public Assistance, and to apply the federal procurement under grant standards – a requirement of receiving FEMA Public Assistance to help pay for the cost of responding to the COVID19 Pandemic.

To join the presentation, use the following hyperlink. Chrome works best
Procurements and Contracting questions should be directed to: esf14recovery@utah.gov  

FEMA PROCUREMENT TRAINING:
FEMA Online Tutorial – COVID-19 Guidance: Procurements Under Grants during Periods of Emergency or Exigency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides financial assistance to states, territories, tribes, local governments, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and other non-Federal entities. All FEMA grant programs are subject to the Federal procurement standards found at 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.317 – 200.326.

TRAINING VIDEOS

FEMA PA Grants Portal – Grants Manager YouTube Channel Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIJp91Ds2IaVlR1t8uXcEKg/videos

**NEW** FEMA COVID-19 Guidance: Procurements Under Grants during Periods of Emergency or Exigency

FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Independent Study Courses (IS):
IS-1000: Public Assistance Program and Eligibility https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-1000
IS-1002: FEMA Grants Portal – Transparency at Every Step https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-1002
IS-1010: Emergency Protective Measures https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-1010

Grants Portal Registration

FEMA has added a new function to its Grants Portal website. Potential applicants, such as towns/cities, counties, special districts, UCs, CSUs, Tribal Governments, etc., (except for Private Non-Profits/Tribal Governments applying as their own Recipient) can now go directly to the Grants Portal website, create their own Organization Profiles, and submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) without having to first receive an Invitation from DEM. Complete a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) to become an official applicant for DR-4525 by April….(date pending)

Exceptions:
This is not available to Private Non-Profits; they must still contact DEM via esf14recovery@utah.gov and request an Invitation to Grants Portal.
This is not available to Tribal Governments applying as their own Recipient.
If they wish to apply as a Subrecipient through DEM, they can utilize this function.
This is only available for the COVID-19 event (DR-4525).

Please email esf14recovery@utah.gov for access. As we successfully add you as an applicant, you should receive an email from support.pagrants@fema.gov with a temporary password that will get you into the website. If you do not receive an email with a temporary password or have other issues, please contact Eric Martineau by email at emartineau@utah.gov. Eric is our administrative expert on getting applicants into Grants Portal and can help you with access. Once you have access into the Grants Portal, please use the attached guide to submit an RPA on behalf of your organization. In order to complete the RPA, you will need to know your Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN). If you can’t find your DUNS number or need a DUNS number, here’s the hyperlink to DUNShttps://www.dandb.com/advanced-search/ . There is no charge to create a DUNS number, and it is a requirement to obtain funds through the PA Program.

The federal Public Assistance Grant Program administered by FEMA provides supplemental disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities after Major Disaster Declarations. DEM coordinates the program for the State of Utah.

Grant Manager:
Brad Bartholomew
bbart@utah.gov

Public Assistance (PA)Individual Assistance (IA)Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)