OpenFEMA Dataset: Public Assistance Second Appeals Tracker - v1
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Entity Name | PublicAssistanceSecondAppealsTracker |
| API Endpoint | https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceSecondAppealsTracker |
| Update Frequency | R/P1W |
| Program URL | https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public/audits-arbitration-appeals |
| Category | Public Assistance |
| Keywords | public assistance |
Description
This dataset records the status of Public Assistance Second Appeals administered by the Public Assistance Appeals, Audits, and Arbitration Branch (PAAAB) at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). PAAAB’s mission is to administer FEMA’s Public Assistance appeals system in a timely, efficient, consistent, and organized manner.
PAAAB accomplishes this mission by:
- Adjudicating second appeals and issuing timely final determinations
- Training and supporting FEMA personnel working on appeals throughout the agency
- Communicating agency policy and practice to FEMA regions and field staff
- Analyzing trends in appeal filings and identifying issues that may require policy changes
The Public Assistance appeals process provides the opportunity for the applicant (see Note 1) (e.g., State, Tribal, Territorial, or local governmental and certain Private Nonprofit organizations applying for Public Assistance grant funds) to appeal FEMA’s determinations regarding their application for assistance.
First Level Appeal
Applicants may appeal FEMA’s determinations denying Public Assistance funding. The applicant must provide documentation to support the appeal. Supporting documentation should explain why the applicant believes the original determination is wrong and the dollar amount in dispute. The recipient (e.g., State, Tribe, or Territory) (see Note 2) will then prepare a written recommendation. The recipient has full discretion to support or oppose all or part of the applicant’s position in the appeal. Per 44 C.F.R. § 206.206, first level appeals are evaluated and decided by the FEMA Regional Administrator responsible for the State, Tribal Nation, or Territory where the disaster occurred. The FEMA Regional Office has 90 days to render a first appeal decision or request more information from the applicant. Once a decision on the appeal is made, FEMA will notify the recipient and applicant. Upon receipt of a denial or partial denial from the Regional Administrator, the applicant has the option to file a second level appeal, though certain applicants may opt to pursue arbitration in lieu of a second level appeal.
Second Level Appeal
The applicant may file a second level appeal of the Regional Administrator’s first appeal decision. The applicant may provide new documentation with the second appeal if necessary. The second appeal should explain why the applicant believes the original determination is wrong and the dollar amount in dispute. The recipient will then prepare a written recommendation. As with the first level appeal, the recipient has full discretion to support or oppose all or part of the applicant’s position. FEMA has 90 days from receipt of the second level appeal to render a decision or request more information from the applicant. Second level appeals are the Agency's final determination, as outlined in regulation (44 C.F.R. § 206.206). All second level appeal determinations are posted on the FEMA website (www.fema.gov), so applicants can review previous decisions FEMA has made on similar issues.
Appeal Submission Deadlines
For disasters declared after January 1, 2022, an applicant must electronically submit its appeal to the recipient within 60 days from the date FEMA electronically transmits the eligibility determination or first appeal decision. The recipient has 120 days from the determination or first appeal decision transmission date to submit the applicant’s appeal through Grants Portal/Grants Manager to FEMA.
For disasters declared prior to January 1, 2022, an applicant must submit its appeal to the recipient within 60 days of receiving notice of FEMA’s eligibility determination or first appeal decision. The recipient has 60 days from the date it receives the appeal to review and forward it with a written recommendation to the appropriate FEMA Regional Administrator.
Additional Resources
For more information about PAAAB, please visit https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public/audits-arbitration-appeals. For more information on the Public Assistance appeals process, download the Appeals Fact Sheet at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema-pa-arbitration-fact-sheet.pdf. For an online archive of previous second appeal decisions, visit the Second Appeals Database at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public/audits-arbitration-appeals#database. To learn more about the arbitration process available to certain applicants visit www.fema.gov/assistance/public/audits-arbitration-appeals#arbitration.
Note 1: Once the applicant receives funding, it is a subrecipient. For simplicity, FEMA uses the term applicant throughout this document when referring to the responsible entity for the project rather than making distinctions between applicant and subrecipient.
Note 2: On December 26, 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, codified at 2 C.F.R. pt. 200, which adopts the term recipient instead of grantee.
This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.
This is raw, unedited data and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.FEMA's terms and conditions and citation requirements for datasets (API usage or file downloads) can be found on the OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions page: https://www.fema.gov/about/openfema/terms-conditions.
For answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the OpenFEMA program, API, and publicly available datasets, please visit: https://www.fema.gov/about/openfema/faq.
If you have media inquiries about this dataset, please email the FEMA Press Office at FEMA-Press-Office@fema.dhs.gov or call (202) 646-3272. For inquiries about FEMA's data and Open Government program, please email the OpenFEMA team at OpenFEMA@fema.dhs.gov.
Full Data
| Format | Address | Record Count | Approximate File Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| csv | Link to csv | 1419 | tiny (< 10MB) |
| json | Link to json | 1419 | tiny (< 10MB) |
| jsona | Link to jsona | 1419 | tiny (< 10MB) |
| jsonl | Link to jsonl | 1419 | tiny (< 10MB) |
| parquet | Link to parquet | 1419 | tiny (< 10MB) |
Data Fields
| Name | Title | Type | Description | Is Searchable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| region | Region |
smallint
|
The FEMA region in which the second appeal originated. | yes |
| disasterNumber | Disaster Number |
text
|
Sequentially assigned number used to designate an event or incident declared as a disaster. An appeal can apply to multiple declarations. As such, this field contains a comma-delimited list of declaration numbers. | yes |
| declarationType | Declaration Type |
text
|
Two character code that defines if this is a major disaster (DR), emergency declaration (EM), or fire management (FM) assistance declaration. | yes |
| recipient | Recipient |
text
|
The recipient (the State, Territory or Tribe) is responsible for reviewing and forwarding the appeal to FEMA. (Please note: The term "grantee" was used prior to "recipients," and might be found in historical PA documents and records.) | yes |
| appellant | Appellant |
text
|
The applicant appealing the region's first appeal decision. | yes |
| applicantId | Applicant ID Number |
text
|
The unique Public Assistance (PA) ID number assigned to each applicant. | yes |
| pwgmpNumber | Project Worksheet Number |
text
|
The number assigned to the project worksheet (PW)/ Grants Manager Project (GMP) number that documents the applicant's project. As multiples can exist, a comma-delimited list is provided. | yes |
| status | Status |
text
|
The status of the second appeal. The status categories are: "Under Review" - FEMA has received the appeal and is actively working on it, or FEMA is waiting on information from a request for information (RFI). A final decision has not yet been rendered. "Granted" - FEMA has approved the relief requested by the applicant. "Partially Granted" - FEMA has approved a portion of the relief requested by the applicant. "Denied" - FEMA has decided not to approve the relief requested by the applicant. "Withdrawn" - The applicant has notified FEMA that it wishes to withdraw its appeal. "Rescinded" - The FEMA Region has notified FEMA HQ that it wishes to retract its first appeal decision and reevaluate the appeal. . "Remanded" - FEMA HQ has returned the appeal to the FEMA Region for further action. | yes |
| hqReceivedDate | Received at HQ |
date
|
The date the applicant's second appeal letter and supporting documentation was received by the Public Assistance Appeals, Audits, and Arbitration Branch (PAAAB) at FEMA HQ. | yes |
| emailAcknowledgementDate | Acknowledgement Email |
date
|
The date PAAAB emails the recipient to acknowledge receipt of the second appeal. This process was put in place for appeals received after 03/30/2015. | yes |
| rfiSentDate | RFI Sent |
date
|
The date a request for information (RFI) was sent to an applicant. | yes |
| rfiDueDate | RFI Due |
date
|
The date a request for information (RFI) is due back to the PAAAB. | yes |
| rfiReceivedDate | RFI Received |
date
|
The date a request for information (RFI) is received by the PAAAB. | yes |
| decisionSignedDate | Decision Signed |
date
|
The date the second appeal decision is signed. | yes |
| id | ID |
bigint
|
Unique ID assigned to the record that does not persist between data set refreshes | yes |
See Also
Access the metadata API calls for additional information: