Appendix A.18 - Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Senior CorpsProjects Affected by Officially Declared Disasters

I. Project Operations in the Affected Area

1) We have lost all or a great many of our project files and other records as a result of the disaster. What should we do?

Please contact your State Office and advise them of the extent of the damage. It is important to document for your records when the damage occurred, how it occurred, the extent of the damage, and what types of files were lost. Where possible, include photographs.

2) Due to the impact of the disaster, we cannot deliver the required in-service training for our FGP/SCP volunteers for at least the next month or two. May we defer this training and deliver it at a later time?

Yes. This must be documented and approved by the State Office. The approval will be for a specific period of time that can be extended with approval from the State Office.

3) We will be unable to achieve one of more of our performance measures because the disaster has interrupted or changed our project operations. What should we do?

Please contact your State Office and discuss the revisions of your performance measures and negotiate revised or new performance measures. After agreement is reached, amend your eGrants application.

4) As a result of the redirection of volunteer effort to support emergency disaster response activities, one or more of our project work plans will no longer be valid. What should we do?

Please contact your State Office and discuss how your redirected activities will result in new work plans. Changes in programmatic activities must be reflected in your grant via an amendment in eGrants. If a work plan is no longer valid, please indicate in the community needs section. If a new work plan is needed, it would be added in eGrants as an amendment. If the work plans to be modified include performance measures, please see Question 3.

5)If a project in our state is unable to access eGrants, how should we process the required amendments?

As always, State Office staff may initiate the amendment in eGrants after reaching agreement with the grantee. The FFMC will make the amendment award in e – Grants.

II. FGP and SCP Volunteers in the Affected Area and Their Stipends

6) How can we appropriately involve FGP or SCP volunteers in relief efforts when their assigned children and adult clients are temporarily not accessible and some of the volunteer stations to which they are assigned may not be operating normally, if at all?

  • Foster Grandparents who are unable to continue to serve their previously assigned children may be assigned temporarily to other children in shelters or other settings and may serve groups of children, while seeking to provide one-on-one assistance wherever possible.
  • Senior Companions who are unable to continue to serve their previously assigned clients may be assigned temporarily to assist other adults with special needs. Assignment plans in such cases may be written generically in recognition of the temporary nature of the assignments.

7)Our project has some Foster Grandparents or Senior Companions who have no remaining leave time and who are temporarily completely unable to serve due to circumstances caused by disaster. May we use project funds to assist them with a temporary allowance?

Yes. In exceptional circumstances, where a Foster Grandparent or Senior Companion is unable to serve and has exhausted all available leave, the Corporation authorizes the payment of a temporary allowance for Foster Grandparents or Senior Companions.The primary reason for authorizing such an allowance is that these volunteers are trained and experienced service providers. Rather than risking the eventual loss of such valuable Senior Corps volunteers because of their inability to serve during this brief period, it is more advantageous to the respective Senior Corps programs, as well as to the individual program sponsors and volunteer stations, to provide this temporary allowance. In addition, the provision of this allowance should also help ensure the continuity of operations for these programs.

8)Our project has Foster Grandparents or Senior Companions who were not scheduled to serve at this time. May they receive a temporary allowance?

No. The temporary allowance may be paid only to Foster Grandparents or Senior Companions who are not able to serve because of the declared disaster.

9) What is the amount of the temporary allowance and how long may it be paid?

The amount of such a temporary allowance may not exceed $53.00 per week (calculated at $2.65 times an average service week of 20 hours). The temporary allowance may be paid at this flat rate for up to 10 weeks beginning as approved by the State Office (See Question # 11 for the approval process).

10) How is the temporary allowance funded?

The temporary allowance may be funded by rebudgeting Volunteer Expense funds in the grant budget. Stipend funds may be rebudgeted for this purpose, with a corresponding temporary reduction in the grantee’s VSY level. Such a reduction will not be deemed to reduce the base level of grant funding.

11)What are the steps in obtaining State Office approval for and implementing a temporary flood allowance to Foster Grandparents or Senior Companions who are unable to serve due to the declared disaster?

Step 1: Write the State Office providing the following information:

  • The date your project began to be affected by the disaster;
  • A general description of how the disaster affected your service area;
  • The number of volunteers for whom you are seeking approval to pay a temporary disaster allowance and the specific reasons they are unable to serve; and
  • For each volunteer, the proposed start and end dates for payment of the temporary allowance.

Step 2: The State Office will provide a written response approving or disapproving your request. If the request is not approved, you will receive an explanation of the reason and may provide additional information if the request is based on an initially incomplete request.

Step 3: When you receive State Office approval to pay a temporary disaster allowance, you may begin paying it as of the approved date. Be sure your records document that these payments correspond to the temporary allowance and are not stipend payments. Stipends may only be paid to serving volunteers and must be documented by time sheets. Temporary disaster allowance payments do not require time sheets.

Step 4: Immediately initiate a budget amendment in eGrants. At the budget screen, create a new Volunteer Expense line item labeled “Temporary Disaster Allowance.” Off line, for each volunteer, calculate the number of weeks for which the allowance has been approved, find the total number of weeks for all volunteers receiving the allowance, and multiply the total number of weeks by $53.00 to get the total of the approved allowances to be paid. Then reduce the stipend line item by this amount and add this amount to the new Temporary Disaster Allowance line item.

Step 5: Submit your proposed amendment.

Note: If you do not have access to eGrants, the State Office may initiate the amendment on your behalf. The FFMC will make the amendment award in e-Grants.

12)Some of our Foster Grandparents/Senior Companions are evacuees in another location outside our service area (or even in another state) where there is another FGP/SCP project. May they temporarily serve with the local project where they are located and receive a stipend?

Yes, provided the local project where the volunteers have relocated is able to accept them. The local project shouldobtain copies of the original volunteer application records documenting eligibility kept at the local project where the individual was serving,or re-qualify the volunteer as eligible to serve including but not limited to age, income, physical exam, clear criminal history check. If the local project is unable to obtain copies of the original volunteer application, they must follow enrollment processes and recertify that the volunteer is eligible to serve. The receiving project must have sufficient volunteer expense funds available and be able to find an assignment appropriate for the particular volunteer.

III. Projects in Non-Affected Areas

13) Evacuees from a disaster area are in my community living in temporary housing. Our project would like to shift some of our volunteers to support the evacuees. Can we do so?

Yes. Please contact your State Office to discuss how your redirected activities will result in changes in your work plans. Changes in programmatic activities must be reflected in your grant via an amendment in eGrants. If a work plan is no longer valid, please indicate in the community needs section. If a new work plan is needed, it would be added in eGrants as an amendment. If the work plans to be modified include performance measures, please see Question 3.

14) May our volunteers respond to needs outside the project's service area resulting from a disaster, either by transporting or accompanying evacuees from where they are currently housed to the project service area or by serving at a distant location?

The service of Senior Corps volunteers should focus on needs in their communities, including helping with the local response to the needs of evacuees.

  • Grant funds should not be used to transport evacuees.
  • Grant funds may be used to reimburse meals or transportation costs for a Senior Corps volunteer who is requested by a disaster response organization to accompany a child or adult who is being relocated.
  • Grantees are encouraged to check with their insurance carrier concerning any limitations on liability coverage.

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