Senator Hassan Leads Push to Fully Reimburse NH Schools for Personal Protective Equipment and Other Emergency Supplies
Senator Hassan Successfully Pushed the Biden Administration to Reimburse Schools for Future COVID-Related Supply Costs and Is Urging the Administration to Reimburse Schools for Previous 2020 Costs
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) is leading a group of her colleagues in calling on the Biden administration to fully reimburse schools in New Hampshire and across the country for emergency COVID-19 related expenses, including personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies.
The American Rescue Plan that was recently signed into law included $50 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse states and localities for COVID-19 related emergency expenses such as personal protective equipment. This funding is on top of the $45 billion that was allocated to the Fund through the federal CARES Act that Congress passed last year. However, under the previous administration, FEMA denied reimbursement that schools in New Hampshire and across the country were counting on. While the previous administration did not reverse its decision, the Biden administration heeded Senator Hassan and colleagues’ calls to do so. Currently though, the reimbursement is not retroactive, so it does not cover expenses from 2020.
Senator Hassan and colleagues are calling for the reimbursement to retroactively cover COVID-related costs incurred by schools dating back to the beginning of the pandemic.
“We write today to urge the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to review and retroactively approve Public Assistance requests from schools and other education facilities for eligible emergency protective measures necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Senators wrote. “While FEMA works to ensure that these expenses will be eligible for reimbursement going forward, it is critical that FEMA retroactively applies this decision to expenses incurred since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In their letter, the Senators highlight the administration’s decision to retroactively reimburse states for other costs incurred under FEMA Public Assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and urged the administration to apply this same policy to schools.
The Senators concluded, “We look forward to working with FEMA and the entire Biden administration to support our schools throughout the course of this pandemic.”
In addition to Senator Hassan, the letter was signed by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA). All four Senators serve on the Homeland Security Committee that has oversight jurisdiction over FEMA.
To read the Senators’ letter to FEMA, see below or click here.
Dear Mr. Fenton:
We write today to urge the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to review and retroactively approve Public Assistance requests from schools and other education facilities for eligible emergency protective measures necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We were pleased when the Biden administration recently expanded eligible expenses for Public Assistance by directing FEMA to reimburse schools for certain costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the purchase of personal protective equipment and disinfecting services. We understand that this decision requires FEMA to create new guidance documents to ensure effective implementation of this change to the Public Assistance program, and we appreciate FEMA’s work to implement this change expeditiously.
While FEMA works to ensure that these expenses will be eligible for reimbursement going forward, it is critical that FEMA retroactively applies this decision to expenses incurred since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration has already announced retroactive changes to FEMA Public Assistance for COVID-19 related to the federal cost share of Public Assistance, stating that the agency will be, “…retroactively reimbursing states fully for FEMA-eligible services – including masks, gloves, emergency feeding actions, sheltering at risk populations, and mobilization of the National Guard – back dated to the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020.” In the wake of this announcement, we urge the Biden administration to extend this same retroactive reimbursement change to Public Assistance for schools for these newly eligible expenses.
We look forward to working with FEMA and the entire Biden administration to support our schools throughout the course of this pandemic. Please do not hesitate to contact our staff with any questions you may have.
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