An organization’s response following a disaster may last only a few days or weeks, but the post disaster cost recovery process typically goes on for years. In some cases, the cost recovery process may last for a decade or more.

The Disaster Cost Recovery process involves personnel from nearly every local government department, including Finance, Purchasing, Risk Management, Building & Safety, Environmental, Public Works, Utilities, Facilities, Administration, Legal, City/County Clerks, etc. But organization’s success of recouping dollars is greatly impacted by a centralized, administration department taking the lead.

In partnership with the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO), GFOA is offering this Disaster Cost Recovery training program to provide finance officers and other government finance professionals an overview of:

• Disaster cost recovery processes, including requirements for obtaining and retaining federal disaster funding
• Assistance grants, specifically, FEMA’s “Public Assistance” program
• Disaster response cost documentation and disaster assistance eligibility guidelines
• Actual FEMA case studies, examples taken from actual disasters, and Department of Homeland Security audits.
  

The first two sessions (July 21 and 22) provide the program overview and includes explicit discussion about:

• damage assessment;
• EOC basics;
• mutual aid issues;
• fundamentals of FEMA’s Public Assistance process;
• recordkeeping and documentation;
• eligibility; and
• strategic and operational planning issues.
  

The third and fourth meetings (July 27 and 28) extensively use audits and case studies to illustrate the focus on:

• project worksheet formulation;
• insurance issues;
• purchasing pitfalls;
• environmental and historic compliance;
• further program regulations, and
• audit defense.

NOTE: This class meets July 21, 22, 27, and 28 from 11:30 to 3:30 EDT

Who Will Benefit: Finance Directors, accountants, controllers, purchasing managers