(a) General. This section describes the policies and procedures that we use to process public assistance grants to States. Under this section the State is the recipient. As recipient you are responsible for processing subgrants to applicants under 2 CFR parts 200 and 3002, and 44 CFR part 206, and your own policies and procedures.

(b) Recipient. You are the grant administrator for all funds provided under the Public Assistance grant program. Your responsibilities under this section include:

(1) Providing technical advice and assistance to eligible subrecipients;

(2) Providing State support for project identification activities to include small and large project formulation and the validation of small projects;

(3) Ensuring that all potential applicants are aware of available public assistance; and

(4) Submitting documents necessary for the award of grants.

(c) Request for Public Assistance (Request). The recipient must send a completed Request (FEMA Form 90-49) to the Regional Administrator for each applicant who requests public assistance. You must send Requests to the Regional Administrator within 30 days after designation of the area where the damage occurred.

(d) Project Worksheets.

(1) An applicant's authorized local representative is responsible for representing the applicant and for ensuring that the applicant has identified all eligible work and submitted all costs for disaster-related damages for funding.

(i) We or the applicant, assisted by the State as appropriate, will prepare a Project Worksheet (FEMA Form 90-91) for each project. The Project Worksheet must identify the eligible scope of work and must include a quantitative estimate for the eligible work.

(ii) The applicant will have 60 days following its first substantive meeting with us to identify and to report damage to us.

(2) When the estimated cost of work on a project is less than $3,000, that work is not eligible and we will not approve a Project Worksheet for the project. Such $3,000 amount shall be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Department of Labor.

(e) Grant approval.

(1) Before we obligate any funds to the State, the recipient must complete and send to the Regional Administrator a Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance, and a SF 424D, Assurances for Construction Programs. After we receive the SF 424 and SF 424D, the Regional Administrator will obligate funds to the recipient based on the approved Project Worksheets. The recipient will then approve subgrants based on the Project Worksheets approved for each applicant.

(2) When the applicant submits the Project Worksheets, we will have 45 days to obligate Federal funds. If we have a delay beyond 45 days we will explain the delay to the recipient.

(f) Exceptions. The following are exceptions to the procedures and time limitations outlined in this section.

(1) Host-State Evacuation and/or Sheltering—

(i) General. A grant to a host-State for sheltering and/or evacuation support is available under this section when an impact-State requests direct Federal assistance for sheltering and/or evacuation support pursuant to §206.208. To receive this grant, a host-State must enter into a FEMA-Host-State Agreement, amend its State Administrative Plan pursuant to §206.207, and submit a Standard Form SF424 Application for Federal Assistance directly to FEMA to apply for reimbursement of eligible costs for evacuating and/or sheltering individuals from an impact-State. Upon award, the host-State assumes the responsibilities of the “recipient” or “State” under this part with respect to its grant award.

(ii) Force Account Labor Costs. For the performance of eligible evacuation and sheltering support under sections 403 or 502 of the Stafford Act, the straight-time salaries and benefits of a host-State's permanently employed personnel are eligible for reimbursement. This is an exception to §206.228(a)(2).

(2) Time limitations. The Regional Administrator may extend the time limitations shown in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section when the recipient justifies and makes a request in writing. The justification must be based on extenuating circumstances beyond the recipient's or subrecipient's control.

[64 FR 55160, Oct. 12, 1999, as amended at 74 FR 15350, Apr. 3, 2009; 74 FR 60213, Nov. 20, 2009; 79 FR 10686, Feb. 26, 2014; 79 FR 76086, Dec. 19, 2014; 82 FR 43, Jan. 3, 2017]