[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2634-2636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00673]


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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: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Disaster Assistance Registration

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

ACTION: 30-Day notice of revision 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. FEMA 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 February 15, 2024.

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: 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

[[Page 2635]]

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 
work flows 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 added back to this 
collection and will eventually be 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-COVID-FA (English), Tele-Registration, 
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance is being added back to this collection and 
will eventually be removed and replaced with FEMA Form FF-104-FY-22-
260, Streamline Registration Intake for Funeral Expenses, Disaster 
Assistance Registration.
    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.
    This proposed information collection previously published in the 
Federal Register on October 19, 2023, at 88 FR 72092 with a 60-day 
public comment period. No public comments were received. The purpose of 
this renewal is to allow public comment regarding post launch usability 
for the Streamline RI implementation and 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: 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-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-

[[Page 2636]]

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. 2024-00673 Filed 1-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-24-P