FEMA Approves More Than $657 Million to Reimburse States, Medical Facilities for Backlog of Public Assistance

WASHINGTON - Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced more than $657 million in FEMA funding to reimburse states, local governments and health care facilities for their costs to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. FEMA has continued to provide funding as responsibly as possible, forecasting that the agency would be funded. The lapse in appropriations has drastically depleted the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), FEMA's primary source of funding for responding to and supporting recovery from Presidentially declared disasters.

"FEMA continues to work tirelessly to clear the backlog of pending reimbursement requests for states, hospitals, local health care facilities and many others to ensure they receive funding for their eligible COVID-19 expenses, while also ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately," said Secretary Mullin. "This was an unprecedented event, and we are aggressively working to close out outstanding COVID-19 projects since it has dragged on for far too long."

The funds will be distributed through FEMA's Public Assistance program to support 75 COVID-19 projects across the country. This money is disbursed to states, territories and health care facilities as FEMA continues to review additional projects for potential duplication of benefits.

Because of the unique nature of the COVID-19 response, FEMA conducted thorough reviews of claimed costs to identify duplication of benefits, specifically with patient care revenue. This led to roughly $8 billion in recovered funding for projects that were ineligible for FEMA funds and did not comply with the agency's standards for reimbursement.

Examples of the approved COVID-19 projects include:

• More than $91 million to Mercy Health Springfield Communities in Missouri for contracted labor from health care staffing agencies due to the surge in demand for emergency medical care during the pandemic.
• More than $45 million to Integris Health in Oklahoma for the purchase of personal protective equipment, signage and medication and the rental of hospital beds, medical equipment and other items for COVID-19 patients.
• More than $34 million to the South Georgia Medical Center for temporary medical staffing, supplies, COVID-19 tests and vaccines and other items to respond to the pandemic.
• More than $33 million to the Health Care Authority for Baptist Health in Alabama for a temporary testing site, medical staffing supplies and medication for the treatment and care of COVID-19 patients.
• More than $17 million to MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center in Iowa for medical staffing and inpatient medical care for COVID-19 patients.
• More than $10 million to Emory University in Georgia for non-congregate sheltering, medical supplies, transportation costs and other expenses related to COVID-19.

FEMA remains focused on closing out pending COVID-19 projects as the recovery phase has continued far beyond the agency's timeline. FEMA will continue to work with Public Assistance applicants to ensure proper documentation of COVID-19 expenses and confirm that claimed activities are consistent with program eligibility criteria.