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Emergency Medical Service Costs

Appeal Brief Appeal Letter

Appeal Brief

DesastreFEMA-3216-DR
ApplicantCity of Houston
Appeal TypeSecond
PA ID#201-35000-00
PW ID#PW 597
Date Signed2006-12-21T05:00:00

Second Appeal Brief
FEMA- 3216-EM-TX
PAID # 201-35000-00, City of Houston
Project Worksheet # 597
Emergency Medical Service Costs

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Citation:

FEMA-3216-EM-TX, City of Houston, TX, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Costs

Cross- Emergency Medical Service Costs, Emergency Protective Measures
Reference:

Summary:

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the city of Houston provided interim shelter to over 34,000 evacuee-households that were dislocated by the hurricanes. The City initially housed the evacuees in congregate shelters and subsequently in apartments and individual homes through March 31, 2006. The City requested reimbursement for $2.3 million in costs incurred in responding to EMS transport calls to areas with high concentrations of evacuees. The Transitional Recovery Office and the FEMA Regional Director in Denton, Texas, denied the initial request and first appeal, respectively, because they considered the additional costs to be increased operating expenses, rather than emergency protective measures. The City submitted a second appeal along with documentation of EMS transport calls made to Katrina and Rita evacuees.

Issues:

Are the additional costs the City incurred for providing EMS transports to disaster evacuees eligible for reimbursement?

Findings:

Yes.

Rationale:

Section 403 of the Stafford Act; Disaster Specific Guidance #2

Appeal Letter

December 21, 2006

Mr. Richard Patterson
Deputy State Coordinating Officer
State Public Assistance – Gulf Coast TRO
9001 I-H35 North
Austin, Texas, 78753-3930

Re: Second Appeal: City of Houston. PAID 201-35000-00; Emergency Medical Service Costs, FEMA- 3216-DR-TX, Project Worksheet (PW) 597

Dear Mr. Patterson:

This is in response to a letter dated November 7, 2006, from Mr. Gary E. Gray, CPA, Assistant Director, Finance and Administration Department, City of Houston, regarding the referenced appeal. Specifically, Mr. Gray is appealing FEMA’s determination that $2.3 million in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) costs that the City incurred between October 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006, was ineligible for reimbursement under the Public Assistance Program.

Disaster Specific Guidance #2 states in part, “If an evacuee becomes ill in a shelter and a determination is made to transport that person to a hospital for further treatment, the costs associated with the transportation, diagnosis, testing and stabilization of that evacuee is eligible.” Apartment complexes that housed Katrina evacuees were considered “shelters” until March 31, 2006. The City submitted documentation showing the number of additional EMS transports made to areas housing significant number of Katrina evacuees from October 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006, to support its request for reimbursement. Therefore, the additional documented costs (minus insurance recoveries) the City incurred for providing EMS transports to evacuees is eligible for reimbursement. Based on the above, I approve the City’s appeal. I have asked the Transitional Recovery Office staff in Austin, Texas, to prepare a PW, based on actual costs the City incurred through March 31, 2006, to implement this determination.

Please inform the City of this determination. This determination is the final decision on this matter pursuant to 44 CFR § 206.206.

Sincerely,

John R. D’Araujo, Jr.

/s/

Director of Recovery

Cc: Bill Peterson
Regional Director
FEMA Region VI

Butch Smith
Director
Texas Transitional Recovery Office