[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 100 (Friday, May 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31196-31198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11081]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
[Docket ID: FEMA-2020-0013; OMB No. 1660-0061]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Federal Assistance to Individuals and
Households Program
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the
information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and
Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission will describe the
nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents,
the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by
respondents to respond) and cost, and the actual data collection
instruments FEMA will use.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 22, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection should be made to Director,
Information Management Division, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472,
email address FEMA-Information-Collections-Management@fema.dhs.gov or
Brian Thompson, Supervisory Program Specialist, FEMA Recovery
Directorate, 540-686-3602.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed information collection
previously published in the Federal Register on March 11, 2020 at 85 FR
14212 with a 60-day public comment period. FEMA received three comments
from the public.
Comment 1: The commenter suggested that FEMA could minimize the
burden for veterans with disabilities by having their patient advocates
or service organizations asking if they have any unmet needs.
Additionally, the commenter suggested that when a disability hinders
someone's ability to understand things and when those serious needs
have continued to not be met can deteriorate a service member's mental
health dramatically. Finally the commenter stated that when service
members need to apply to many different organizations and ask for help
only to be advised to contact someone else without help can be very
discouraging. Rather, a simple phone call from someone that has access
to important information and the ability to help that person can really
help. FEMA has initiated interrelated projects to increase the
communication of the needs of registrants with disabilities across our
programs and better support the needs of survivors with disabilities.
Recognizing the need for more effective and actionable disability-
related questions in the Registration Intake form (covered in OMB
collection 1660-0002, Disaster Assistance Registration), FEMA is in the
process of submitting a revision to OMB collection 1660-0002 to add a
specific reasonable accommodation question, and an additional question
capturing disability-related losses. The reasonable accommodation
question will ask registrants to indicate if they have a disability-
related need to access FEMA's programs and services. FEMA's
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Individual Assistance (IA) Program and Office of Equal Rights (OER) are
working to develop a written procedure to arrange for any
accommodation/modification, and to develop training documents/curricula
for all FEMA personnel involved in providing accommodations to disaster
survivors. The Federal Register Notice for 1660-0002 which outlines the
reasonable accommodation question addition should be posted in the near
future for public comment.
The reasonable accommodation question was developed through
collaboration between the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and
Coordination (ODIC), the FEMA OER, the FEMA IA Program, the FEMA Office
of External Affairs, and other relevant offices within FEMA. In
addition to these offices, ODIC sought input from the National Council
on Disability (NCD) to validate the language included in the question.
NCD is an independent Federal agency charged with advising the
President, Congress, and other Federal agencies regarding policies,
programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with
disabilities.
With the addition of the reasonable accommodation question in the
registration intake form, FEMA will be better able to identify and
assist applicants with completing the forms included in 1660-0061
(request for late application review, submitting appeals, completing
the Authorization for the Release of Information form, requesting
advance disaster assistance, and stop payment requests).
In addition, the policies regarding how and why FEMA can share
applicant information are not in place to make it harder for veterans
and others with disabilities to receive the help they need, but to
protect them from fraud and identity theft by ensuring only those who
have appropriate consent from the applicant can access their
information. FEMA generally communicates directly with each applicant
throughout the IHP process to gather information, inform them of their
eligibility for assistance, refer them to other sources of assistance,
and guide them on the proper use of IHP funds.
FEMA also generally communicates directly with each applicant to
protect their private information. The Privacy Act of 1974 regulates
how FEMA collects, uses, and discloses an applicant's personal
information in order to protect the privacy of the applicant, and
requires FEMA to obtain written consent from the applicant in order to
share their disaster assistance records with a third party. For
example, FEMA employees and contractors will always verify an
applicant's identity before discussing eligibility or potential
assistance. After verifying their identity with FEMA, the applicant can
also give verbal permission for FEMA to speak with a third party
regarding their case via the FEMA Helpline.
FEMA may share applicant information outside FEMA with entities
such as States, territorial, Tribal, and local governments, voluntary
organizations, and other organizations in accordance with published
routine uses identified in DHS/FEMA-008 Disaster Recovery Assistance
Files System of Records Notice. FEMA shares this information to enable
the applicant to receive additional disaster assistance, prevent a
duplication of benefits, and prevent future disaster losses.
Comment 2: The second comment was not a germane comment.
Comment 3: The commenter suggested that it should be made clear
whether the Coronavirus pandemic falls within the bounds of a declared
disaster or emergency which justifies provision of FEMA assistance of
the type discussed after a disaster or emergency to aid in housing,
food sources, medical needs, and other forms of aid provided by FEMA
after an earthquake or hurricane, which should also be available to
those families and persons needing assistance during the coronavirus
emergency. At this time, the only declaration provided for Individual
Assistance for COVID-19 is specific to Crisis Counseling. The
Individuals and Households Program has not been authorized; therefore,
FEMA is not accepting disaster assistance registrations for COVID-19 at
this time and is not providing assistance under the Individuals and
Households Program.
News Release HQ-20-091 dated April 9, 2020 on FEMA.gov about rent
suspension is only in regard to disaster survivors who were already
receiving temporary housing from FEMA in FEMA-provided Temporary
Housing Units. For further information regarding FEMA's response to
COVID-19, please visit https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus.
The purpose of this notice is to notify the public that FEMA will
submit the information collection abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and clearance.
Collection of Information
Title: Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households Program.
Type of information collection: Revision of a currently approved
information collection.
OMB Number: 1660-0061.
Form Titles and Numbers: FEMA Form 010-0-11, Individuals and
Households Program (IHP)--Other Needs Assistance Administrative Option
Selection; Development of State/Tribal Administrative Plan (SAP) for
Other Needs Provision of IHP; FEMA Form 010-0-12 (English), Individuals
and Households Program Application for Continued Temporary Housing
Assistance; FEMA Form 010-0-12S (Spanish), Programa de Individuos y
Familias Solicitud Para Continuar La Asistencia de Vivienda Temporera;
Request for Approval of Late Registration; Appeal of Program Decision;
FEMA Form 009-0-95 (English), Request for Advance Disaster Assistance;
FEMA Form 009-0-95S (Spanish), Solicitud de Adelanto de la Asistencia
por Desastre; FEMA Form 009-0-96 (English), Request to Stop Payment and
Reissue Disaster Assistance Check; FEMA Form 009-0-96S (Spanish),
Solicitud para Detener el Pago y Reemitir el Cheque de Asistencia por
Desastre; FEMA Form 140-003d-1--(English), Authorization for the
Release of Information Under the Privacy Act; FEMA Form 140-003d-1S--
(Spanish), Autorizaci[oacute]n para la Divulgaci[oacute]n de
Informaci[oacute]n bajo el Acta de Privacidad.
Abstract: The collection provides applicants the ability to request
approval of late applications, request continued temporary housing
assistance, appeal program decisions, request advance disaster
assistance, request assistance checks not received be stopped and
reissued, and to authorize the release of information to third parties.
It also establishes an agreement between FEMA and States, territories,
and Tribal governments regarding the administration of the Other Needs
provision of IHP.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households; State, Local, or Tribal
Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 140,753.
Estimated Number of Responses: 185,057.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 150,828.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $5,692,939.
Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: NA.
Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: NA.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $1,089,213.
Comments
Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data
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collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency,
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b)
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
Maile Arthur,
Deputy Director, Information Management Division, Office of the Chief
Administrative Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-11081 Filed 5-21-20; 8:45 am]
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