1. Shari A. Ramirez-MacKay Deputy Assistant Director Texas Division of Emergency Management Texas Department of Public Safety

2. Handouts  Mutual Aid Reimbursement Documentation Checklist  Reimbursement Forms for State Mutual Aid  TIFMAS Business and Deployment Guide  TDEM Mission Time Log - CTR

3. Overview  Government Code  TIFMAS Response  Before Responding  During the Response  Requesting Reimbursement  Handout Review  Questions

4. Government Codes  Government Code Title Four, Executive Branch, Subtitle B. Law Enforcement and Public Protections, Chapter 418. Emergency Management  Sec. 418.118. REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS: STATE REQUEST OR FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION  Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 258, Sec. 1.07, eff. June 6, 2007.Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 865, Sec. 1.07, eff. June 15, 2007

5. Government Codes  The division may directly request the provision of mutual aid assistance from any local government entity participating in the system.

6. Government Codes  The division shall administer all requests for reimbursement for costs associated with providing mutual aid assistance in response to a request made by the division for an incident resulting in the issuance of a disaster declaration by the president of the United States. A request for reimbursement made to the division must be made in accordance with procedures developed by the division.

7. Government Codes  If the division requests the provision of assistance and the local government entity responds, the state shall reimburse the actual costs of providing assistance, including costs for personnel, operation and maintenance of equipment, damaged equipment, food, lodging, and transportation, incurred by the responding local government entity.

8. Disaster Response  For TDEM reimbursement there are basically two types of disaster responses: All Hazards and TIFMAS. Both can be state funded and/or federally funded through a federal disaster declaration.  All Hazards cover all events – tropical storms, sheltering, hurricanes, tornados, floods, etc.

9. Disaster Response  TIFMAS deployments are usually associated with Wild Fires but a TIFMAS response can also be an important piece of the All Hazards response.  Although both types of response reimbursement requirements in many ways mirror each other, because of the nature of TIFMAS responses, the requirements do differ from the All Hazards reimbursements. Labor, equipment, meal reimbursement, etc.  For TIFMAS there are specific agreements in place that determine the final reimbursement requirements and costs.

10. Prior to Responding DO’S  Have proper authorization from TDEM/SOC ICS 213 or 213RR and now the STAR (State of Texas Assistance Request)  Accompanying list if blanket ICS 213/STAR  Have a DPS/TDEM contract signed by the proper TDEM authority  Have a TPASS contract signed by the proper TDEM authority with a Purchase Order activating your services

11. TIFMAS Response  All reimbursement is authorized and funded through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).  Read and thoroughly understand the TIFMAS Business and Mobilization Procedures.  Regularly assigned local jurisdiction duty shift hours during deployment will be paid at regular pay.  Volunteer Fire Departments will be reimbursed for personnel costs at a rate of $12 per hour per firefighter.  Non duty hours worked on the incident will be paid at jurisdiction overtime rate only for hours worked.

12. TIFMAS Response  Will pay for mobilization time to incident and demobilization time to home base.  Backfill for personnel assigned to 24 hours shifts will be paid at jurisdiction overtime rate  After initial attack operations TIFMAS will adhere to the National Standard of a 2:1 work/rest ratio.  A minimum staffing policy must be in place prior to activation in order to be eligible for backfill costs.  TIFMAS does not reimburse portal to portal.

13. Meal Reimbursement s  All deployed TIFMAS personnel are required to indicate at least one 30 minute meal break for each operational period assigned. This should be marked on the daily crew time report for each person. This is not optional.  Meals will be reimbursed at a rate not to exceed $46 per day. - Deployed before 10:00 a.m., will receive full day’s meal reimbursement - $46. - Deployed before 2:00 p.m. but after 10:00 a.m., will receive a partial day’s meal reimbursement - $36 - After 2:00 p.m., will receive a day’s partial reimbursement - $22

14. Meal Reimbursement s  The documentation required with the reimbursement package to be eligible for meal reimbursement is:  1. If meals were purchased on a jurisdiction travel credit card a credit card statement must be provided with the reimbursement package indicating the meal charges. Jurisdiction will be reimbursed actual meal costs per TIFMAS policies.  2. If meals were purchased with personal credit card or personal funds the jurisdiction must provide proof of payment to employee for claimed amount (copy of check). The department will be reimbursed, not the individual. Individual should claim meals per the policies above at a rate of $46 day and not necessarily actual costs. Itemized receipts are not required by TDEM for meals.

15. Lodging for Deployed Resources  All resources should arrive at the incident self sufficient for the first 72 hours. If lodging is required there are different options available: Lodging or hotels are secured and paid for through the incident. This is handled by the Logistics Section and no further action is required from the responders.  If a department secures a hotel room with a department credit card they will be reimbursed at the end of the incident with meals and other costs. The department will need to provide a copy of the credit card statement showing the lodging costs. An individual can secure multiple rooms on their department card for all members of the strike team. In this case the paying department will seek reimbursement for all rooms by providing a copy of the card statement. The department will be reimbursed, not the individual.

16. Lodging for Deployed Resources  If a firefighter secures lodging with a personal card the firefighter will seek reimbursement from the department. The department will then be reimbursed by TDEM for these costs and should submit proof of payment to the individual incurring the expense. The department will be reimbursed, not the individual.

17. Damaged Equipment Procedures  Repair reimbursement requests must be documented, justifiable and reasonable within the scope of the operation.  The incident is responsible for any damage incurred from the point of incident check in and vehicle inspection through demobilization from incident and return to home base.  When there is damaged to vehicles while mobilized: - The responding department should use their insurance provider per their local policy and file a claim. If there is a deductible or damage which is not covered include this documentation, pictures, and accident report per department policy for reimbursement - If the damage incurred on the incident is less than the insurance policy deductible and the department wants to recover the repair costs, but does not want to file with their insurance carrier the department must provide: 1. Proof of insurance which identifies the amount of the deductible

18. Damaged Equipment Procedures 2. An invoice documenting the costs incurred to repair the damage. 3. Any amount greater than the deductible will not be reimbursed.  Self Insured departments/jurisdictions should submit all expenses incurred to repair incident related damages for reimbursement.  Departments must submit check-in and demobilizations pictures from Ground Support (taken by IMT) with reimbursement documentation.  Damage due to firefighting operations or other costs associated with equipment issues which are not covered by insurance (e.g. towing charges, tire repair, pump damage etc.) should documented with receipts and included in the reimbursement package sent to TDEM.  Document any damage to vehicle/equipment during demobilization process and request copies of both the equipment check-in and equipment demobilization forms and include in reimbursement request.

19. Equipment Typing and Reimbursement Rates  As of December 1, 2011 TIFMAS will only reimburse for vehicles (Equipment) using an hourly rate identified in the TIFMAS Business Manual. TIFMAS will not reimburse per mile nor accept any reimbursements based on mileage. For all equipment mobilized under TIFMAS refer to the charts located in the TIFMAS Business Manual for equipment/vehicle typing and the approved hourly rate. If the personnel assigned to the vehicle are on the clock the vehicle is considered to be on the clock.  Equipment reimbursement rates include all fuel costs.

20. Reimbursement Timeline Meeting the 90 day goal of reimbursement:  Fire Departments should strive to submit their reimbursement package within 30 days from the end of deployment to TDEM.  The goal of TDEM is to process the package within 30 days from receipt from jurisdiction.  If reimbursement package is approved at the end of 60 days (first audit) 50% of reimbursable amount will be funded and disbursed through TDEM to local jurisdiction.  On completion of first audit (goal of 60 days) the approved final package is sent to the OOG for a second audit and approval of final 50% payment.

21. Operational period  Once checked into the incident, resources are on shift and staged for each operational period. The actual time of the operational period can vary but 12 hours is common. All resources are paid for those hours whether they are dispatched from staging or not. If needed after the operational period ends, resources can be called back and dispatched on initial attack. These hours are reimbursed and should be documented on the Crew Time Report.

22. Hourly rate of reimbursement  The rate of reimbursement is determined by the local jurisdiction. TDEM will reimburse the local jurisdiction at the employee’s normal hourly rate with benefits which is normally received in their home jurisdiction, including overtime per local policy.

23. Part-Time Firefighter  Part-time firefighters who deploy, will meet the TCFP rules for hours worked as identified in § 419.0321. A part-time firefighter cannot work more than 24 hours a week or average more than approximately 24 hours a week during a work cycle or work more than 500 hours a year.

24. Shelters: Prior to Responding DON’TS  Accept verbal request  Accept unsigned 213s/STAR or contracts  Assume anything

25. During the Response DO’S  Tax exempt forms (Gov agencies/charitable organizations  Retain itemized receipts Travel (meals, lodging, fuel, air travel, etc.) Equipment & rentals Supplies & materials  Rent equipment and storage needed to perform duties  Use local vendors for rental needs  Request/obtain TDEM approval for questionable items  Keep a journal or narrative of work performed

26. During the Response DON’TS  Utilize entities on the Texas Debarred Vendor List or the Federal Excluded Parties List System  Purchase equipment that can be rented or make excessive purchases  Rent items on a long-term contract or lease agreement  Purchase a building for storage space

27. During the Response DO’S  Sheltering Maintain a daily list/count of evacuees Keep a log of meals served Track/log TX evacuees separately from out of state evacuees  Counties/Cities/Towns issued ICS 213/STAR Know what shelters are in your jurisdiction Provide TDEM with a shelter list Inform TDEM of any new shelters immediately

28. During the Response DON’TS  Sheltering Distribute gift cards to shelterees Give shelterees money that can’t be tied to an expenditure Shelter individuals without minimum information (full name, city, and state of residence)

29. During the Response DO’S  Sheltering Maintain detailed shelter work log of employees working the shelter Track equipment usage while employed in shelter Keep a detailed record of all supplies expended during shelter operations Use evacuee insurance to purchase prescription medication in an extreme event

30. Requesting Reimbursement DON’TS  Submit a disorderly documentation without clear indication of requested reimbursement/invoiced amount  Neglect to include necessary contact information  Combine documentation for different disasters/responses into one large request

31. Requesting Reimbursement DON’TS  Submit for debris removal or damage  Seek reimbursement for non TDEM/SOC directed response/activities  Direct your (sub)contractors/vendors to contact or invoice TDEM directly  Invoice with the usage rate for equipment, mileage, and fuel

32. Requesting Reimbursement DON’TS  Submit reimbursement for per diem  Provide credit card statements or customer signature slips in lieu of receipts  Submit for meals bought by town/city/county for employees working an EOC, shelter, etc.

33. Requesting Reimbursement DO’S  Disseminate proper reimbursement procedures to (sub)contractors/vendors  Organize reimbursement for ease of understanding  Include invoice/summary sheet/letter of what you are requesting.  Provide a narrative of what duties you performed  Use proper equipment codes and rates for the invoiced response/disaster

34. Requesting Reimbursement DO’S  Submit TIFMAS, PWRT, MCU, EOC, and shelter reimbursement request separately  Include 213/STAR, purchase order, and/or contract in packet  Maintain an exact copy of what you submit to TDEM  Invoice for exact expenditures Itemized receipts Proof of payment

35. Requesting Reimbursement DO’S  Include payroll/overtime policy when submitting for labor  Include POs, contracts and/or MOUs for (sub)contractors  Request reimbursement for loss of income for a previously booked venue  Shelter: Submit one invoice for all shelters under hub

36. Requesting Reimbursement DO’S  Submit for reimbursement for travel at the DPS rates Up to $46/day for meals Up to $85/day for lodging Need Itemized receipts  Use applicable federal rates for out of state travel (rare)

37. Handout Review

38. Questions? Funds Management Section  Disaster Response Reimbursement Information Line 512 424 7607  Fax 512 424 7584  Email tdem_reimbursement@dps.texas.gov  Website http://www.dps.texas.gov/dem/http://www.dps.texas.gov/dem/