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1 1 (February 10, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekog0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ R fesearch Service Closing the Incident Period for the Stafford Act Declaration for the COVID-19 Pandemic February 10, 2023 On February 9, 2023, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that on May 11, 2023, the agency will close the incident periods for all emergency and major disasters declared for the COVID-19 pandemic under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended). Since March 13, 2020, Stafford Act declarations issued for every state, territory, District of Columbia, and several tribes have authorized FEMA to deliver assistance nationwide. FEMA reports obligating over $100 billion through these declarations, in addition to direct provision of federal personnel, facilities, emergency commodities, and operational support. What Is the Incident Period? Stafford Act declarations do not expire, nor do they have set durations established in statute or regulation. Instead, per federal regulations, FEMA determines an incident period-the interval during which an incident occurred-for each Stafford Act declaration. Stafford Act response and recovery assistance (such as Individual and Public Assistance) generally only alleviates damages and losses sustained during each declaration's incident period. For example, FEMA may designate a hurricane's incident period as the sequence of five days during which winds and flooding caused injuries and damages. FEMA may then provide assistance (often over the course of months or years) to cover the costs of losses, damages, and injuries sustained during those five days. The 3.5-year incident period for the COVID-19 pandemic is the longest in FEMA's history; most incident periods cover only days or weeks. How Does the End of the Incident Period Affect FEMA Assistance? Statutes, regulations, and program guidance typically limit the duration of specific FEMA assistance programs, which FEMA may and has extended for the pandemic. Below are summaries of the potential effects for active FEMA assistance programs. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12106 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress