[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 201 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72092-72094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23065]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2023-0028; OMB No. 1660-0002]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Disaster Assistance Registration

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: 60-Day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public to take this opportunity to comment on a revision of 
a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning 
changes to modernize and simplify the disaster assistance registration. 
The changes will reduce the burden on survivors by only requiring them 
to answer questions based on the type of assistance they need. This 
will also reduce the amount of time it takes for survivors to apply 
either online, or through a call center, therefore allowing call center 
agents to assist survivors more quickly.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 18, 2023.

ADDRESSES: To avoid duplicate submissions to the docket, please submit 
comments at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID FEMA-2023-0028. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket 
ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal 
eRulemaking

[[Page 72093]]

Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will include any personal 
information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes 
it public. You may wish to read the Privacy and Security Notice that is 
available via a link on the homepage of www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Thompson, Supervisory Program 
Specialist, FEMA, Recovery Directorate at 540-686-3602 or 
[email protected]. You may contact the Information 
Management Division for copies of the proposed collection of 
information at email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) (Pub. L. 93-288, as amended) 
(42 U.S.C. 5121-5207) is the legal basis for FEMA to provide financial 
assistance and services to individuals who apply for disaster 
assistance benefits in the event of a Presidentially-declared disaster. 
Housing Assistance is a provision of the Individuals and Households 
Program, authorized by section 408(c) of the Stafford Act. There are 
two forms of assistance: financial and direct. Financial Housing 
Assistance refers to funds provided to eligible applicants for 
temporary lodging expenses, rental of temporary housing, or repair or 
replacement of a damaged primary residence. Direct Temporary Housing 
Assistance includes providing Temporary Housing Units through 
Multifamily Lease and Repair and Direct Lease, or placing transportable 
temporary housings, such as manufactured housing units and recreational 
vehicles or travel trailers, on private, commercial, or group sites.
    This program provides financial assistance and, if necessary, 
direct assistance to eligible individuals and households who, as a 
direct result of a major disaster, have necessary expenses and serious 
needs that are unable to be met through other means. Individuals and 
households may apply for assistance through the Registration Intake 
process under the Individuals and Households Program in person, via 
telephone, or the internet. FEMA provides financial assistance under 
Other Needs Assistance to individuals or households affected by a major 
disaster to meet disaster-related medical, dental, funeral, childcare, 
personal property, transportation, moving and storage expenses, and 
other necessary expenses or serious needs resulting from a major 
disaster under section 408(e)(1) of the Stafford Act.
    The changes to the following forms support Executive Order 14058, 
Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to 
Rebuild Trust in Government (86 FR 71357, December 16, 2021). The 
changes will rebuild trust in the Federal Government by promoting 
transparency of FEMA's Disaster Assistance application process. The 
major changes will decrease the amount of time to create a new 
registration and streamline the application process to create a simpler 
registration progression focused on an individual's specific recovery 
needs. Streamlining breaks the application process down into specific 
workflows in a more user-friendly format:
    FEMA Forms FF-104-FY-21-123 (formerly 009-0-1T, English) and FF-
104-FY-21-123-A (formerly 009-0-1T, Spanish), Tele-Registration 
Application for Disaster Assistance are being removed due to the 
addition of the ten Streamline Registration Intake workflows. The ten 
workflows are: Home Damage, Personal Property Damage, Vehicle Damage, 
Emergency Needs, Essential Utilities Outage, Funeral Expenses, 
Childcare Expenses, Lodging Expenses, Medical or Dental Expenses, and 
Expenses for Miscellaneous items (e.g., chainsaws, generators, etc.).
    FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-123-FA (English), Tele-Registration, is 
being removed and replaced with FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-260, Streamline 
Registration Intake for Funeral Expenses, Disaster Assistance 
Registration.
    FEMA Forms FF-104-FY-21-123 (formerly 009-0-1T, English) and FF-
104-FY-21-123-A (formerly 009-0-1T, Spanish), Tele-Registration 
Application for Disaster Assistance are being removed due to the 
addition of the ten Streamline Registration Intake flows.
    COVID-19 Funeral Assistance will remain in FEMA Template FT-104-FY-
22-101, Request for Information (RFI)--Funeral Verification (English) 
until the COVID-19 application period ends.
    This collection contains the proposed changes to the disaster 
application process that will reduce the time to apply for IHP 
assistance. This update specifically recognizes post launch usability 
and the public's responses to the changes which will also be non-
substantive throughout as the updates are not specifically content 
driven. These changes will reduce the burden on survivors by only 
requiring them to answer questions based on the type of assistance they 
need.
    In documenting all post-registration callouts, auto-dialer contacts 
and subsequent collection of data, FEMA can determine whether 
applicants have unmet needs, can process the applicant for financial or 
direct assistance sharing the results of those contacts directly with 
external stakeholders. This data is specifically used for FEMA and its 
stakeholders to determine whether assistance is warranted.
    The notice also includes FEMA documenting all post-registration 
contacts, including callouts, casework, and auto-dialers performed for 
the purpose of determining whether disaster assistance applicants have 
unmet needs and may be eligible for additional assistance and/or share 
the results of those contacts directly with external stakeholders, such 
as state or local government partners, who can potentially assist those 
same applicants with assistance or services not provided by FEMA 
through specific programs directly targeted to disaster survivors.
    This notice specifically recognizes post launch usability and 
feedback from the public. FEMA is seeking the public's comments on 
identifying ways on making this a more user-friendly collection and 
more functional to meet the end users-applicants' needs. The changes in 
this information collection will also be non-substantive throughout as 
the updates are not specifically content driven. These changes in the 
application process are, however, designed to not only reduce the 
burden on the public but also reduce the administrative burden through 
this modernization update.

Collection of Information

    Title: Disaster Assistance Registration.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    OMB Number: 1660-0002.
    FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-122 (formerly 009-0-1, English), 
Paper Application, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-
FY-21-122-A (formerly 009-0-2, Spanish), Solicitud en Papel, Registro 
Para Asistencia De Desastre; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-123 (formerly 009-
0-1T, English), Tele-Registration, Disaster Assistance Registration; 
FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-123-A (formerly 009-0-1T, Spanish), Tele-
Registration, Registro Para Asistencia De Desastre; FEMA Form FF-104-
FY-21-123-COVID-FA (English), Tele-Registration, COVID-19 Funeral 
Assistance; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-125 (formerly 009-0-1Int, English), 
internet, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-125-
A (formerly 009-0-2Int, Spanish), internet, Registro Para Asistencia De 
Desastre; FEMA Form FF-

[[Page 72094]]

104-FY-21-127 (formerly 009-0-5, English), Manufactured Housing Unit 
Revocable License and Receipt for Government Property (Revocable 
License); FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-127-A (formerly 009-0-6, Spanish), 
Licencia Revocable para la Unidad de Vivienda Temporera y Recibo para 
el uso de Propiedad del Gobierno (Licencia Revocable); FEMA Form FF-
104-FY-21-128 (formerly 009-0-3, English), Declaration and Release; 
FEMA Form FF-104-FY-21-128-A (formerly 009-0-4, Spanish), Declaracion Y 
Autorizacion; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-255, Streamline Registration 
Intake for Home Damage, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-
104-FY-22-256, Streamline Registration Intake for Personal Property 
Damage, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-257, 
Streamline Registration Intake for Vehicle Property Damage, Disaster 
Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-258, Streamline 
Registration Intake for Emergency Needs, Disaster Assistance 
Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-259, Streamline Registration 
Intake for Essential Utilities Outage, Disaster Assistance 
Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-260, Streamline Registration 
Intake for Funeral Expenses, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA 
Form FF-104-FY-22-261, Streamline Registration Intake for Childcare 
Expenses, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-262, 
Streamline Registration Intake for Lodging Expenses, Disaster 
Assistance Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-263, Streamline 
Registration Intake for Medical or Dental Expenses, Disaster Assistance 
Registration; FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-264, Streamline Registration 
Intake for Expenses for Miscellaneous Items, Disaster Assistance 
Registration; FEMA Template FT-104-FY-22-101, Request for Information 
(RFI)--Funeral Verification; FEMA Template FT-104-FY-22-102, Request 
for Information (RFI)--Ownership Verification; FEMA Template FT-104-FY-
22-103, Request for Information (RFI)--Occupancy Verification; FEMA 
Template FT-104-FY-22-104, Request for Information (RFI)--Medical, 
Dental, Disability-Accessibility-Related Items.
    Abstract: The forms in this collection are used to obtain pertinent 
information to provide financial assistance, and if necessary, direct 
assistance to eligible individuals and households who, as a direct 
result of a disaster or emergency, have uninsured or under-insured, 
necessary or serious expenses they are unable to meet. This revision of 
a currently approved information collection will improve the 
applicant's experience with the disaster assistance registration 
process by providing a simpler, more intuitive interface and limiting 
required responses to those needed based on their needs. These changes 
will help rebuild trust in the Federal Government by promoting 
transparency of FEMA's Disaster Assistance application process.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,366,134.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 2,366,134.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 700,954.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $30,246,167.
    Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
    Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $33,303,400.

Comments

    Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data 
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.

Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2023-23065 Filed 10-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-24-P