The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the end of the incident period for all COVID-19 emergency and major disaster declarations under the Stafford Act, effective May 11, 2023. Since the nationwide emergency declaration on March 13, 2020, FEMA has awarded more than $100 billion in funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, private non-profits, and individuals, including more than $60 billion in Public Assistance grants.
FEMA has also established May 11, 2023, as the Public Assistance Emergency Work completion deadline for the COVID-19 national emergency and major disaster declarations. This means that May 11, 2023, is the date on which eligibility of all emergency work and associated costs for COVID-19 ends, and costs incurred for work related to COVID-19 after that date will not be eligible for Public Assistance funding. However, FEMA has approved an extension to the emergency work period of performance for demobilization, disposition, and disposal activities for a period not to exceed 90 days from the end of the emergency work completion deadline.
FEMA has also released the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Public Assistance Programmatic Deadlines Policy, which establishes programmatic deadlines for all COVID-19 emergency and major disaster declarations. Applicants and recipients must have submitted all Requests for Public Assistance (RPAs) to FEMA via the Grants Portal system no later than July 1, 2022.
The policy also provides guidance for programmatic deadlines for work completed at 90% federal cost share from July 2, 2022, through May 11, 2023. FEMA will issue additional guidance establishing further project submission and programmatic deadlines for COVID-19 emergency work activities performed on or after July 2, 2022, through May 11, 2023, and will notify applicants no less than 90 days prior to the project submission deadline.
