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Terms of Employment

Permanent Full Time Employees

Permanent Full Time (PFT) positions are permanent and follow all Title 5 CFR provisions. PFT positions are “Competitive Service” appointments. Competitive civil service jobs are filled according to a merit system where the best qualified candidates are chosen based on an application and interview process. Through fair and open competition, managers may hire a previous or current Federal employee or choose to hire someone from outside the Federal government.

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Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees

Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee (CORE) employees are hired under the authority and provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Act. CORE positions are temporary, excepted service appointments with specific “Not to Exceed” dates. The appointments are two and four-year terms and are typically renewed if there is ongoing disaster work and funding is available. Excepted service is a special authority used by the Federal government which allows agencies to use a streamlined hiring process rather than hiring through the traditional competitive process. This authority allows agencies to help meet an unusual or special hiring need. CORE positions are excluded from Title 5 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) provisions covering Government Organizations and Employees.

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What is a Disaster Assistance Employee?

A Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE, also known as ‘Reservist’) is a Federal employee who works on an on-call, intermittent basis forming the major workforce for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in times of emergency or disaster. DAEs play significant roles in helping FEMA accomplish critical goals and objectives. DAEs help complete FEMA’s mission by staffing Joint Field Offices (JFOs) and Disaster Recovery Center (DRCs), interviewing disaster victims, conducting and verifying damage assessments, providing administrative, financial and logistical support and performing a wide variety of other tasks as identified by staffing needs and operational requirements.

DAEs are highly motivated individuals who are capable of producing quality work with minimal supervision in a pressure-filled environment. The life of a DAE can be exhausting, frustrating, challenging and rewarding. The hours can be long and the conditions are sometimes difficult, but the payoff is the satisfaction of knowing you have brought aid, relief and comfort to those individuals affected by a disaster or an emergency.

For more information, click one of the following links:

Disaster Assistance Employee Qualities

Compensation

A Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) is a nonpermanent, excepted service employee appointed under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended. DAE pay is governed by a schedule separate and apart from regular compensation limits for permanent full-time staff. Pay levels relate to experience, skill set and job classification ranging from $11.29 to $42.03 per hour.

An appointment as a FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) does not carry a guarantee of employment or of a renewal of employment. Opportunities for work are limited because of the sporadic nature of disasters. Hence, DAEs must consider the Reservist Program as an intermittent source of income.

Reservists are paid only for hours actually worked on a ‘when-actually-employed’ basis. Overtime compensation is in accordance with FEMA Instructions 3200.1 for any hours worked over 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week. In addition, overtime pay rates are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), with positions designated as exempt or non-exempt in accordance with FLSA provisions.

When deployed, Reservists may have the opportunity to earn holiday pay, administrative leave, and accrue sick leave based on policies and procedures consistent with FEMA’s competitive service employees on a regularly scheduled tour of duty.

DAEs are appointed for a two-year period, receive no health or retirement benefits, earn no annual leave, and receive compensation only when deployed. DAEs are paid by direct deposit, required by Federal regulation, to a bank account of their choosing every two weeks.

If you are a retired federal civil servant, your pay from FEMA may be subject to an offset. A copy of your annuity statement must be submitted to Personnel yearly to be eligible for an annuity waiver during the first 120 days from the date of a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The annuity waiver does not apply when deployed to conduct Preliminary Damage Assessments or for an Emergency Presidential Declaration.

Offsets may or may not apply to career military retirees, depending on the policy of each military branch/each individual. It is suggested that an annuity waiver form be completed when deployed to a JFO (Joint Field Office).

Travel Reimbursement

DAEs receive the total number of hours traveling to a disaster site, including overtime during preliminary damage assessment (PDA) phase of the disaster event, an Emergency Declaration or a Presidential Disaster Declaration. A DAE will receive actual travel time when traveling home using the most advantageous transportation method to the government. Pay status commences at the time of departure from and return to their residence.

A DAE is entitled to reimbursement of travel costs and per diem (lodging, meals, and incidentals) when on approved duty away from their residence.

Travel and lodging costs are charged through use of a Government charge card issued to all DAEs when hired. In order to be employed as a DAE, you must be approved for a Travel Card.

Unemployment Compensation

Upon release from a deployed assignment, DAEs may be eligible for unemployment compensation. Unemployment claims are subject to state law. Each DAE should seek specific guidance from his/her state unemployment office regarding eligibility criteria.

Workers' Compensation

DAEs are covered by federal workers’ compensation laws regarding job-related accidents that occur while employed by the federal government.

Types of Jobs

Currently FEMA's disaster workforce uses the cadre structure to identify employees who perform a specific operational program or function in support of agency-wide disaster operations.

National Cadres:Responsible for developing policies and procedures specific to their cadre, aligned with agency and program plans and goals. National cadre managers develop and implement strategies for recruitment, hiring, training and development of cadre members. National Cadre Managers monitor the readiness of their cadre and make recommendations as needed concerning potential deployments of cadre members in order to determine the optimal use of available resources.
Regional Cadres:Support the National Cadre Managers in implementing policies and procedures at the regional level consistent with agency, program and cadre guidelines. Regional cadre managers play a key role in ensuring that accurate records for individual cadre members are maintained. Regional cadre managers take an active role in communicating issues and concerns raised by cadre members to the National Cadre managers as appropriate.

Cadres focus on the following functionality:

AdministrationFederal Coordinating OfficerOperation
Alternate Dispute ResolutionFinancePlanning
AttorneyHuman CapitalPublic Affairs
Community RelationsIndividual AssistancePublic Assistance
ComptrollerInformation TechnologySafety
CongressionalLogisticsSecurity
Contracting/AcquisitionsLong Term Community Recovery      Training
Environmental/Historic Preservation      MitigationDisaster Generalist      
Equal Rights  

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Regional Contacts

Region IVacant
Region IIRacquel Pabon212-680-3642
Region IIIPatrick Schmierer 215-931-5554
Region IVFaith Ford770-220-5631
Region VRick Saucedo312-408-5380
Region VIRoland Jackson940-383-7220
Region VIIJoyce Wells816-283-7927
Region VIIIMarsha Bicanovsky303-235-4702
Region IXHattie Thompson510-627-7238
Region XMike Kundu425-487-4609

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 21-Sep-2011 12:47:30 EDT