[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 [email protected] 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

[[Page 31197]]

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

[[Page 31198]]

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]
 BILLING CODE 9111-23-P