Federal Emergency Disaster Declaration Announcement from Vermont Emergency ManagementWe have received a nationwide Emergency Declaration (ED) for COVID-19. This ED#3437 will allow critical private non-profits, state agencies and municipalities who sustained costs related to COVID-19 to apply for FEMA Federal disaster funding. At this time, we are unsure what all costs will fall under FEMA Public Assistance (PA) eligibility. We do know that disaster related costs under Category B (emergency protective measures) are eligible (See Eligible-Emergency-Protective-Measures_FactSheet.pdf). This Category B work includes working in a call center, emergency operation costs related to COVID-19, food distribution and medical supplies. I would recommend that if potential applicants feel they have these costs under emergency protective measures to contact me, and I will discuss with the State agency/PNP/Town to determine if they should apply under the FEMA PA program. Applications (called Request for Public Assistance- RPA’s) are submitted through the Grants Portal, which I can assist with if needed. I recommend potential applicants to maintain any costs related to COVID-19 and keep them separate from regular job duty expenses. In order for Private Non-profits to be eligible for PA, they are required to be critical. Please see the attached PNP-Eligibility-Table.pdf for a list of critical PNP’s. We may see a large financial impact on businesses that have had to close their doors. Businesses are not eligible for FEMA Public Assistance, but can apply for a small business administration loan (SBA). That information is attached under VT16361.Pdf and VT16361-EIDL-FactSheet.Pdf. The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved the Economic Injury Disaster Declaration for the State of Vermont. Small businesses and private nonprofits can now apply for the low-interest working capital disaster loan online at: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela or by contacting our Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 to request a paper application. Please see the attached Declaration and Fact sheet for advanced viewing. SBA QUESTIONS: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I would encourage you to share this information with towns as you see fit, without creating the promise of funding reimbursement. Eligibility is specific and limited to the work outlined in the attached documentation. If you have any further questions, please reach out and I will do my best to answer them. Thank you Kimberly Canarecci |
