On July 16, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued new guidance to assist local governments navigate the issue of duplication of benefits.
On July 16, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued new guidance to assist local governments navigate the issue of duplication of benefits. A duplication of benefits occurs when a public agency takes possession of more than one federal resource to pay for a project or service in response to a federally declared disaster. Typically, an eligible recipient may not use another federal resource to meet the local 25% match requirement required in most FEMA Public Assistance grants. However, these restrictions have become confusing because of additional COVID-19 related relief. To address the confusion, FEMA released an FAQ document with examples to help cities navigate the current situation.