Developing your MRP Cost Estimates

When completing an MRP, it’s essential to remember that a good cost estimate results in a good reimbursement package.

 

When all expenses have been considered while preparing an MRP and adjusted as needed when a request arrives, both Requesting and Assisting States understand the scope of the mission and its costs. To prepare for reimbursement, you should be aware of your employer’s internal guidelines and understand your responsibilities
for maintaining good supporting documentation for expenses incurred during  your deployment.

 

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Preparing

Resource providers will receive a mission order authorization form which contains all mission related information and the costs. Any unexpected costs that occur during your mission may require the assisting and requesting state emergency management agencies to amend costs within the mission paperwork. You must report these costs to your resource provider as soon as they are apparent.

 

During deployment, deployed personnel must maintain original copies of all invoices, receipts, and other documentation related to expenses incurred while performing the EMAC mission. This documentation will be submitted to your resource provider as the basis for your reimbursement claim.

Personnel

Each individual on the mission would have their name, salary rates, fringe benefit rates, hours to be worked for regular and overtime, and the total estimated number of mission days. Again, you should be able to estimate the number of mission days your resource can be deployed and use that number here.

 

If you are unsure of the names of the personnel who will deploy, you can enter the job titles and update the job titles with names once the state emergency management agency has requested your Mission Ready Package. It is important to supply the names, phone number, and email address so they can be reached during the mission and immediately after for after action follow-up.

 

Air Travel

You can make travel cost-related decisions up front, such as whether to use per diem rates or require actual receipts for all meals and lodging during a mission. You should locate your jurisdictional policies so any estimates you provide would be consistent with policies that will need to provide with your reimbursement package. Doing this upfront will save time when seeking reimbursement.

 

Eligible costs within this category include airfare at the standard rate and baggage fees. Supported documentation can include receipts for baggage fees, boarding passes, and receipts from the airline or travel agent including the name of the traveler, dates,
and cost.

 

Ground Transportation

Eligible costs for ground transportation reimbursement include rental vehicles & fuels, taxi or shuttle fees, parking fees, highway and bridge tolls. Fuel or agency, state, or GSA rates for government owned-vehicles or the use of a personally owned vehicle also apply.

 

Supported documentation for ground transportation includes rental vehicle and contract fuel receipts, taxi and shuttle fair receipts, parking receipts, vehicle log and fuel receipts for government owned-vehicles, and maps showing mileage from
starting point to destination.

Lodging

If lodging is provided by or direct billed to the requesting state, or if lodging is not available and personnel are self-sufficient in primitive conditions, or are in a base camp at no cost, those expenses are not eligible for reimbursement. Eligible costs within this category include: per diem using gsa rates or actual costs for lodging.

 

Supported documentation for lodging includes a copy of agency or state policy showing lodging rates, a copy of GSA lodging rates for the area of deployment, original lodging receipts showing zero balance.

 

Meals

The mission order should reflect if meal expenses will be calculated at per diem or calculated cost. As with lodging, any meals provided by or directly provided by or billed directly to the requesting state are not eligible for reimbursement.

 

Supported documentation for lodging includes a copy of agency or state policy showing per diem rates, a copy of GSA meal rates for the area of deployment, or actual meal receipts

 

 

Equipment

In general, equipment must not be purchased for or during the conduct of a mission.
If equipment must be purchased, a discussion should first take place between the resource provider and the assisting and requesting state emergency management agencies. If the resource provider chooses to be reimbursed for the agreed upon price of the equipment, the equipment becomes the property of and remains in the requesting state.

 

Eligible costs for equipment include maintenance and operating costs for vehicles and machinery required to perform the mission, Agency, state, or FEMA hourly equipment rate schedule and loss or damages occurring to equipment.

 

Supported documentation includes log sheets showing dates and hours equipment was  in use, documentation substantiating fuel and oil consumption, a copy of FEMA equipment rates for each type of equipment used, photographs, affidavits, or police reports documenting damage or loss.

 

Commodities

Eligible costs within this category include consumables, supplies, and other materials that are used during the conduct of the mission. Expendable resources such as office supplies, ice, snacks, fuel, and other one-time-use items and should be charged based on their cost per item and quantity of items purchased.

 

Supported documentation for reimbursement includes actual receipts for purchases and records substantiating their need.

Other

It may be difficult to identify these types of expenses prior to deployment, for this reason, it is critical that accurate records and documentations substantiating other
costs are maintained.

 

Eligible costs within this category include reasonable repair or replacement costs of equipment, costs for the decontamination or cleaning of equipment during employment, costs of purchasing and transporting supplies, as well as maintenance and repair expenses necessary to return equipment to pre-disaster conditions. Eligible costs may also include any items that do not belong in any other category, such as cell phone charges, laundry expenditures, and vaccination costs. Such “other” expenses may be estimated based on quantity or by a rate.

 

Supported documents for reimbursement include invoices or receipts, other documentation substantiating the expense, proof of insurance or non insurance, photographs, affidavits, or police reports documenting damage or loss.

www.emacweb.org

Developing your MRP Cost Estimates

Preparing

Personnel

Air Travel

Ground Transportation

Lodging

Meals

Equipment

Commodities

Other