HUD:
The Department of Housing and Urban Development was established in 1965 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act. HUD is the principal federal agency responsible for programs concerned with the nation's housing needs, fair housing opportunities, and improvement and development of the nation's communities. HUD provides the main source of funding for Louisiana's recovery from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and Isaac; and the March and August flooding events.

Common HUD terms are as follows:

• CDBG-DR
  Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery assistance is the term for the HUD funding stream that is allocated to eligible disaster recovery entities via congressional appropriations. HUD provides flexible CDBG-DR grants to cities, counties and states to help them recover from presidentially declared disasters, especially in low-income areas. This funding provides crucial seed money to begin the recovery process and rebuild in disaster affected areas. Since CDBG-DR assistance funds a broad range of recovery activities, such as housing, infrastructure and economic development, HUD can help communities and neighborhoods that may not otherwise recover because of limited resources.
• FR
  The Federal Register is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules and public notices. It is published daily, except on federal holidays. The final rules published in the Federal Register are ultimately reorganized by topic or subject matter and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is updated annually.
• CFR
  The Code of Federal Regulations is the annual collection of general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) that were published in the Federal Register by executive departments and agencies of the federal government. The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation.
• FRN
  For each congressional appropriation, HUD publishes a Federal Register Notice, outlining the rules and regulations for the CDBG-DR funding.
• Action Plan
  After HUD publishes the Federal Register Notice for a congressional appropriation, the grantee (eligible government) must develop and submit an Action Plan describing the needs, strategies and projected uses of the CDBG-DR funds. HUD must approve the Action Plan before funds are released.
• Action Plan Amendment
  As the grantee continues to finalize its long-term recovery goals, or as its needs change through the recovery process, the grantee must submit an Action Plan Amendment to HUD that updates its needs assessment; modifies or creates new activities; or re-programs funds, as necessary. There are two types of Action Plan Amendments, Substantial and Non Substantial, as follows:
  • Substantial APA (Action Plan Amendment):
    At a minimum, the following modifications will constitute a substantial amendment: a change in program benefit or eligibility criteria; the allocation or re-allocation of more than $1 million ($5 million 2016 Louisiana Floods); or the addition or deletion of an activity. Prior to submission of a substantial amendment, the grantee is encouraged to work with its HUD representative to ensure the proposed change is consistent with the FRN, and all applicable regulations and federal law. Substantial amendments will require a public comment period as dictated in the CFR (varies for each allocation).
  • Non-Substantial APA (Action Plan Amendment):
    Action Plans amended to reflect changes, updates or revisions to original projections are considered non-substantial. For these amendments, the grantee must notify HUD, but is not required to undertake public comment. HUD must be notified at least five days before the amendment becomes effective. HUD will acknowledge receipt of the notification of non-substantial amendments via email within five business days.
    
    
• DRGR System
  The Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System is an online system that gathers, packages and provides access to a central database containing a wide variety of information about grantees and their projects. Using a secure ID and password, users can access the DRGR System via a web browser. The DRGR System allows the reporting of integrated information, in other words, data that can be aggregated and analyzed in a number of ways that is convenient to HUD management. This allows for the generation of reports that provide an accurate and comprehensive picture of the appropriation when HUD reports to Congress. The DRGR System also provides a data archive of historical information on program performance.

FEMA:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the president that FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster.

Common FEMA terms are as follows:

• Major Disaster Declaration
  The President can declare a Major Disaster Declaration for any natural event, including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought, or, regardless of cause, fire, flood, or explosion, that the President believes has caused damage of such severity that it is beyond the combined capabilities of state and local governments to respond. A major disaster declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for both emergency and permanent work.
  
  Louisiana's major disaster declarations for the March and August flooding events are as follows:
  
  Severe Flooding (Disaster 4277) declared on August 14, 2016
  
  Severe Flooding (Disaster 4263) declared on March 13, 2016

• FEMA PA
  The President can make Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance available to local, state and tribal governments, and certain types of private nonprofit organizations to remove debris, provide emergency protective measures, and restore equipment, buildings and other infrastructure damaged by the disaster. This is done on a cost-sharing basis.
• FEMA IA
  Federal Emergency Management Agency Individual Assistance programs provide financial or direct assistance to support the recovery of disaster survivors who have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs. This may include assistance for temporary housing and housing repairs, critical disaster related expenses, and the replacement of essential personal property. This assistance is not intended to restore your damaged property to its pre-disaster condition. Through its IA programs, FEMA may also provide funding to the state or tribal government to support programs that address crisis counseling, disaster case management, disaster legal services and disaster unemployment assistance.
• FVL
  A FEMA Verified Loss occurs when FEMA completes a home inspection and the total damages assessed are greater than $0. Currently, there are around 112,000 homeowners and renters from both the March and August storms that have FVL.
• FEMA Damage Assessment
  • Major / Low: $8,000 to $14,999 of FEMA-inspected real property damage and/or 1 - 4 feet of flooding on first floor.
  • Major / High: $15,000 to $28,800 of FEMA inspected real property damage and/or 4 - 6 feet of flooding on first floor.
  • Severe: More than $28,800 of FEMA inspected real property damage, or determined destroyed, and/or 6 or more feet of flooding on first floor.

Louisiana State Agency Terms

• RFP
  A Request for Proposal is a publicized document that solicits business proposals from potential providers, through a bidding process by an agency interested in the procurement of a commodity, service or asset. It is the process through which the state of Louisiana is able to solicit and review multiple responses, or proposals, from qualified bidders to carry out work on behalf of the state. Respondents are ranked and scored based on their responses to questions and criteria clearly outlined in the RFP. For-profit businesses and non-profit organizations may respond to RFPs.
• QA/QC
  Quality Assurance and Quality Control can lead to clearer communication, a better understanding of roles and responsibilities by all parties involved, compliance with contractual requirements and a better quality project.
  • Quality Assurance services are used evaluate how likely it is that a contractor is achieving specified contractual conditions.
  • Quality Control services are used by contractors to ensure their work achieves the state's specifications, something which they are contractually required to do. It includes activities like reviewing files for compliance with program guidelines and third party inspections of completed housing.

Income Level Terms

• Very Low: Households whose total annual gross income is up to 30 percent of the area median family income, as determined by HUD, adjusted for family size.
• Low: Households whose total annual gross income is between 31-50 percent of the area median family income, as determined by HUD, adjusted for family size.
• Moderate: Households whose total annual gross income is between 51-80 percent of the area median family income, as determined by HUD, adjusted for family size.
• Low to Moderate Income: Households whose total annual gross income does not exceed 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), adjusted for family size. This number also varies by parish and/or Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), depending on the actual median income of a parish or MSA.

Other Terms

• NFIP
  The National Flood Insurance Program is managed by FEMA and has three components: provide flood insurance; improve floodplain management; and develop maps of flood hazard zones.
• SFHA
  Special Flood Hazard Area is the land area covered by the floodwaters of the base flood on NFIP maps. The SFHA is the area where the NFIP's floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies.
• Elderly
  A FEMA applicant who is more than 62 years old. This data does not include all households that have a member of the household that is elderly, it just captures those applicants where the person completing the application as head of household is elderly.
• Access or Functional Need
  Individuals who may have physical, sensory, mental health, and cognitive and/or intellectual disabilities affecting their ability to function independently (without assistance). Also may include women in the late stages of pregnancy, seniors, and people whose body mass requires special equipment.

State Program Specific Terms:

1. Definitions (Page 15, LRHP Dec. 2018 version 5.1)

Act of Donation: a form of property transfer without exchange or payment.

Applicant: all homeowners who are owner-occupants of a damaged property are applicants.

CDBG-DR: Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Recovery Program.

Common Area Under Roof: The total area under the common roof is primarily interior, conditioned spaces, and for single-story homes, equal to the footprint of the house. The term is also synonymous with the eligible area. In addition, exterior spaces such as detached porches and garages are not considered in the eligible area.

Construction Technical Advisors (CTA): Program staff members who explain to Solution 2 applicants the Scope of Work eligible under the applicant’s award, the applicable Program requirements, and the obligations of the applicant and the applicant's homebuilding contractor. Construction Technical Advisors do not provide any construction services or any advice related to construction methods. No warranties or representations regarding construction or repair of the damaged property are provided by such advisors.

Disability: RLHP defines disability, for purposes of the Program, consistent with federal law under The Social Security Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §423(d), The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §12102(1)-(3), and in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR §§5.403 and 891.505.

Duplication of Benefits (DOB): A duplication of benefit is the receipt of funding from multiple sources for the same purpose. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief Act (Stafford Act) prohibits any person, business concern or other entity from receiving financial assistance from CDBG Disaster Recovery funding with respect to any part of the loss resulting from a major disaster as to which he/she has already received financial assistance under any other program or from insurance or any other sources. It is an amount determined by the Program that may result in the reduction of an award value.

Grant Execution Date: Date that assistance is approved for the project.

Habitable: A habitable dwelling unit is one that is structurally sound, weather tight and in good repair.

HCDA: Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.

HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Low to Moderate Income (LMI) Household: A household is considered to be of low or moderate income if the household income (including income derived from assets) is at or below 80 percent of an area’s median income. All income is based on the Area Median Income limits set annually by HUD for each parish or metropolitan statistical area.

Major/Severe damages: $8,000 or more of FEMA inspected real property damage or 1 foot or more of flood water on the first floor.

Manufactured home or Manufactured housing unit (MHU): For the purposes of this Program, references to manufactured homes more specifically refers to mobile homes. Manufactured housing that is of modular construction will be treated as stick- or site-built construction.

New Construction: A replacement home that substantially exceeds the original footprint by 20% or more on the existing lot (if permitted) or the construction of a new home in a new location.

NFIP: National Flood Insurance Program. When the Program refers to NFIP in the context of eligibility or duplication of benefits, the Program is referring to private and public flood insurance programs that cover structural repairs resulting from flood damages.

Reconstruction: Demolition and rebuilding of an existing structure based on the Program's building standards. Reconstructed property is built on the same footprint as the original structure and will not substantially exceed (limited to an increase of 20% or less) the square footage of the current or demolished structure. This requirement will subordinate to the local jurisdiction's building code requirements.

Rehabilitation: Repairs made to an existing structure based on the Program's building standards.

Subrogation: Repayment of duplicative assistance.

Report References:

• SCR Structural Consultation Request
• SAR Structural Assessment Report (previously "Building Assessment Reports")
• REVSAR Revised Structural Assessment Report
• PCE Preliminary Cost Estimate
• SUTE Structurally Unsafe to Enter
• NSSD Notice of Substantial Structural Deficiency