Subpart C of this part provides guidance on the administration of Response Cooperative Agreements.

Affiliated Personnel means individuals not normally employed by a Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency and individuals normally affiliated with a Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency as volunteers.

Demobilization Order means a DHS communication that terminates an Alert or Activation and identifies cost and time allowances for rehabilitation.

Exempt means any System Member who is exempt from the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq., pertaining to overtime compensation and other labor standards.

Maximum Pay Rate Table means the DHS-issued table that identifies the maximum pay rates for selected System positions that may be used for reimbursement of Affiliated Personnel compensation and Backfill for Activated System Members employed by or otherwise associated with a for-profit Participating Agency. The Maximum Pay Rate Table does not apply to a System member whom a Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency employs.

Mobilization means the process of assembling equipment and personnel in response to an Alert or Activation.

Non-Exempt means any System Member who is covered by 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.

Rehabilitation means the process of returning personnel and equipment to a pre-incident state of readiness after DHS terminates an Activation.

(a) Cost neutrality. DHS policy is that an Alert or Activation should be as cost neutral as possible to Sponsoring Agencies and Participating Agencies. To make an Alert or Activation cost-neutral, DHS will reimburse under this subpart all reasonable, allowable, necessary and allocable costs that a Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency incurs during the Alert or Activation.

(b) Actual costs. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, DHS will not reimburse a Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency for any costs greater than those that the Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency actually incurs during an Alert, Activation.

(c) Normal or predetermined practices. Consistent with 2 CFR parts 200 and 3002, Sponsoring Agencies and Participating Agencies must adhere to their own normal and predetermined practices and policies of general application when requesting reimbursement from DHS except as it sets out in this subpart.

(d) Indirect costs. Indirect costs beyond the administrative and management costs allowance established by § 208.41 of this part are not allowable.

Sponsoring Agencies are responsible for executing such agreements with Participating Agencies and Affiliated Personnel as may be necessary to implement the Sponsoring Agency's Response Cooperative Agreement with DHS. Those agreements must identify established hourly or daily rates of pay for System Members. The hourly or daily rates of pay for Affiliated Personnel must be in accordance with, and must not exceed, the maximum pay rates contained in the then-current Maximum Pay Rate Table.

DHS will not reimburse costs incurred during an Advisory.

(a) Allowable costs. DHS will reimburse costs incurred during an Alert, up to the dollar limit specified in the Alert Order, for the following activities:

(1) Personnel costs, including Backfill, incurred to prepare for Activation.

(2) Transportation costs relating to hiring, leasing, or renting vehicles and drivers.

(3) The administrative allowance provided in § 208.41 of this part.

(4) Food and beverages for Task Force Members and Support Specialists when DHS does not provide meals during the Alert. DHS will limit food and beverage reimbursement to the amount of the then-current Federal meals daily allowance published in the Federal Register for the locality where such food and beverages were provided, multiplied by the number of personnel who received them.

(b) Calculation of Alert Order dollar limit. The Alert Order dollar limit will equal:

(1) An allowance of 10 percent of the Task Force's Daily Cost Estimate; and

(2) A supplemental allowance of 1 percent of the Task Force's Daily Cost Estimate for each 24-hour period beyond the first 72 hours of Alert.

(c) Non-allowable costs. DHS will not reimburse costs incurred or relating to the leasing, hiring or chartering of aircraft or the purchase of any equipment, aircraft, or vehicles.

(a) Allowable costs. DHS will reimburse costs incurred for the emergency procurement of equipment and supplies in the number, type, and up to the cost specified in the current approved Equipment Cache List, and up to the aggregate dollar limit specified in the Activation Order. The Assistant Administrator may determine emergency procurement dollar limits, taking into account previous Activation history, available funding, the extent and nature of the incident, and the current state of Task Force readiness.

(b) Non-Allowable costs. DHS will not reimburse costs incurred for items that are not listed on the Equipment Cache List; for items purchased greater than the cost or quantity identified in the Equipment Cache List; or for any purchase of non-expendable items that duplicate a previous purchase under a Preparedness or Response Cooperative Agreement.

With the exception of emergency procurement authorized in the Activation Order, and replacement of consumable items provided for in § 208.43(a)(2) of this subpart, DHS will not reimburse costs incurred for re-supply and logistical support during Activation. Re-supply and logistical support of Task Forces needed during Activation are the responsibility of the Joint Management Team.

(a) Compensation. DHS will reimburse the Sponsoring Agency for costs incurred for the compensation of each Activated System Member during Activation. Reimbursement of compensation costs for Activated Support Specialists will be limited to periods of time during which they were actively supporting the Activation or traveling to or from locations at which they were actively supporting the Activation. The provisions of § 208.40 of this part govern costs incurred for providing fringe benefits to System Members.

(b) Public Safety Exemption not applicable. DHS will reimburse Sponsoring Agencies for costs incurred by Non-Exempt System Members in accordance with 29 U.S.C. 207(a) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, without regard to the public safety exemption contained in 29 U.S.C. 207(k). In other words, DHS will reimburse Sponsoring Agencies on an overtime basis for any hours worked by Non-Exempt System Members greater than 40 hours during a regular workweek.

(c) Tour of duty. The tour of duty for all Activated System Members will be 24 hours. DHS will reimburse the Sponsoring Agency for salary and overtime costs incurred in compensating System Members for meal periods and regularly scheduled sleep periods during Activation. Activated System Members are considered “on-duty” and must be available for immediate response at all times during Activation.

(d) Regular rate. The regular rate for purposes of calculating allowable salary and overtime costs is the amount determined in accordance with § 208.39(e)(1) through (3) of this subpart.

(e) Procedures for calculating compensation during Activation. A Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency must:

(1) Convert the base hourly wage of any Non-Exempt System Member regularly paid under 29 U.S.C. 207(k) to its equivalent for a 40-hour work week;

(2) Convert the annual salary of any salaried Non-Exempt System Member to its hourly equivalent for a 40-hour workweek;

(3) Calculate the daily compensation of Exempt System Members based on their current annual salary, exclusive of fringe benefits;

(4) Calculate the total number of hours worked by each System Member to be included in the Sponsoring Agency's request for reimbursement; and

(5) Submit a request for reimbursement under § 208.52 of this part according to the following table:

(f) Reimbursement of additional salary and overtime costs. DHS will reimburse any identified additional salary and overtime cost incurred by a Sponsoring Agency as a result of the temporary conversion of a Non-Exempt System Member normally compensated under 29 U.S.C. 207(k) to a 40-hour work week under 29 U.S.C. 207(a).

(g) Reimbursement for Backfill costs upon Activation. DHS will reimburse the cost to Backfill System Members. Backfill costs consist of the expenses generated by filling the position in which the Activated System Member should have been working. These costs are calculated by subtracting the non-overtime compensation, including fringe benefits, of Activated System Members from the total costs (non-overtime and overtime compensation, including fringe benefits) paid to Backfill the Activated System Members. Backfill reimbursement is available only for those positions that are normally Backfilled by the Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency during Activation. Employees exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) not normally Backfilled by the Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency are not eligible for Backfill during Activation.

(a) Except as specified in § 208.40 (c) of this subpart, DHS will reimburse the Sponsoring Agency for fringe benefit costs incurred during Activation according to the following table:

(b) Differential pay. DHS will reimburse the Sponsoring Agency for direct costs incurred because of any separate differential compensation paid for work performed during an Activation including, but not limited to, differentials paid for holidays, night work, hazardous duty, or other paid fringe benefits, provided such differentials are not otherwise reimbursed under paragraph (a) of this section. A detailed explanation of the differential payment for which the Sponsoring Agency seeks reimbursement must accompany any request for reimbursement under this section together with identification of every fringe benefit sought under § 208.40(a) of this part and the method used to calculate each such payment and the reimbursement sought from DHS.

(c) DHS will not reimburse the Sponsoring Agency for fringe benefit costs for Affiliated Personnel.

(a) The administrative allowance is intended to defray costs of the following activities, to the extent provided in paragraph (b) of this section:

(1) Collecting expenditure information from Sponsoring Agencies and Participating Agencies;

(2) Compiling and summarizing cost records and reimbursement claims;

(3) Duplicating cost records and reimbursement claims; and

(4) Submitting reimbursement claims, including mailing, transmittal, and related costs.

(b) The administrative allowance will be equal to the following:

(1) If total allowable costs are less than $100,000, 3 percent of total allowable costs included in the reimbursement claim;

(2) If total allowable costs are $100,000 or more but less than $1,000,000, $3,000 plus 2 percent of costs included in the reimbursement claim greater than $100,000;

(3) If total allowable costs are $1,000,000 or more, $21,000 plus 1 percent of costs included in the reimbursement claim greater than $1,000,000.

Costs incurred for conducting after-action meetings and preparing after-action reports must be billed as direct costs in accordance with DHS administrative policy.

DHS will reimburse costs incurred to return System equipment and personnel to a state of readiness following Activation as provided in this section.

(a) Costs for Equipment Cache List items—(1) Non-consumable items. DHS will reimburse costs incurred to repair or replace any non-consumable item on the Equipment Cache List that was lost, damaged, destroyed, or donated at DHS direction to another entity, during Activation. For each such item, the Sponsoring Agency must document, in writing, the circumstances of the loss, damage, destruction, or donation.

(2) Consumable items. DHS will reimburse costs incurred to replace any consumable item on the Equipment Cache List that was consumed during Activation.

(3) Personnel costs associated with equipment cache rehabilitation. DHS will reimburse costs incurred for the compensation, including benefits, payable for actual time worked by each person engaged in rehabilitating the equipment cache following Activation, in accordance with the standard pay policy of the Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency and without regard to the provisions of § 208.39(e)(1) of this part, up to the number of hours specified in the Demobilization Order. Fringe benefits are reimbursed under the provisions of § 208.40 of this part.

(b) Costs for personnel rehabilitation. DHS will reimburse costs incurred for the compensation, including benefits and Backfill, of each Activated System Member regularly scheduled to work during the rehabilitation period specified in the Demobilization Order, in accordance with the standard pay policy of the Sponsoring Agency or Participating Agency and without regard to the provisions of § 208.39(e)(1) of this part.

(c) Other allowable costs—(1) Local transportation. DHS will reimburse costs incurred for transporting Task Force Members from the point of assembly to the point of departure and from the point of return to the location where they are released from duty. DHS will also reimburse transportation costs incurred for assembling and moving the equipment cache from its usual place(s) of storage to the point of departure, and from the point of return to its usual place(s) of storage. Such reimbursement will include costs to return the means of transportation to its point of origin.

(2) Ground transportation. When DHS orders a Sponsoring Agency to move its Task Force Members and equipment cache by ground transportation, DHS will reimburse costs incurred for such transportation, including but not limited to charges for contract carriers, rented vehicles, contract vehicle operators, fleet vehicles, fuel and associated transportation expenses. The Assistant Administrator has authority to issue schedules of maximum hourly or per mile reimbursement rates for fleet and contract vehicles.

(3) Food and beverages. DHS will reimburse expenditures for food and beverages for Activated Task Force Members and Support Specialists when the Federal government does not provide meals during Activation. Reimbursement of food and beverage costs for Activated Support Specialists will be limited to periods of time during which they were actively supporting the Activation or traveling to or from locations at which they were actively supporting the Activation. Food and beverage reimbursement will be limited to the amount of the then-current Federal meals and incidental expenses daily allowance published in the Federal Register for the locality where such food and beverages were provided, multiplied by the number of personnel who received the same.

(a) Except as allowed under paragraph (b) of this section, DHS will not reimburse other costs incurred preceding, during or upon the conclusion of an Activation unless, before making the expenditure, the Sponsoring Agency has requested, in writing, permission for a specific expenditure and has received written permission from the Program Manager or his or her designee to make such expenditure.

(b) At the discretion of the Program Manager or his or her designee, a request for approval of costs presented after the costs were incurred must be in writing and establish that:

(1) The expenditure was essential to the Activation and was reasonable;

(2) Advance written approval by the Program Manager was not feasible; and

(3) Advance verbal approval by the Program Manager had been requested and was given.

At the time of Activation of a Task Force, the Task Force will develop the documentation necessary to request an advance of funds be paid to such Task Force's Sponsoring Agency. Upon approval, DHS will submit the documentation to the Assistance Officer and will request an advance of funds up to 75 percent of the estimated personnel costs for the Activation. The estimated personnel costs will include the salaries, benefits, and Backfill costs for Task Force Members and an estimate of the salaries, benefits and Backfill costs required for equipment cache rehabilitation. The advance of funds will not include any costs for equipment purchase.

Title to equipment purchased by a Sponsoring Agency with funds provided under a DHS Response Cooperative Agreement vests in the Sponsoring Agency, provided that DHS reserves the right to transfer title to the Federal Government or a third party that DHS may name, under 2 CFR 200.313(e)(3), when a Sponsoring Agency indicates or demonstrates that it cannot fulfill its obligations under the Memorandum of Agreement.