Recommendation: To better ensure FEMA's regional activities effectively support individuals with disabilities, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the FEMA Administrator to take steps to establish written procedures for how regions should involve the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination in clarifying disability integration staff's roles, evaluating staff performance, and setting expectations for how staff communicate with headquarters and the regions.

Agency: Department of Homeland Security
Status: Open

Comments: FEMA agreed with this recommendation and FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) is in the process of establishing a working group that will clarify and codify the roles, responsibilities, and expectations among the various agency offices and personnel involved in carrying out the agency's disability integration mission. In January 2018, FEMA reported that it had created Regional Integration Teams in the regions to improve the efficiency and efficacy of mission delivery. In August 2018, ODIC reported its goal to meet with Regional Administrators and other senior leaders across the agency by the end of CY 2018 to refine the role for disability integration staff. The reported intent of refining the role is to better align it with the FEMA Administrator's goal of empowering emergency managers in states, localities, tribes, and territories. In June 2019, ODIC officials reported plans to convene a workgroup to examine the role of the Regional Disability Integration Specialist, including their reporting chain and their roles and responsibilities in each of FEMA's ten regions. The workgroup will meet over two months and develop recommendations to be considered by FEMA's Chief of Staff by August 23, 2019. GAO is encouraged by FEMA's efforts to engage Regional Administrators and other senior leaders in its refinement of the role of disability integration staff, and awaits evidence of FEMA establishing documentation of the agency's procedures for carrying out its disability integration mission.

Recommendation: To help ensure its key training on incorporating access and functional needs into emergency planning reaches a sufficiently wide audience, the Secretary should direct the FEMA Administrator to collect information about the potential pool of participants, set general goals for the number of state and local emergency managers that will take this course, and implement the delivery methods needed to meet these goals.

Agency: Department of Homeland Security
Status: Open

Comments: FEMA agreed with this recommendation and reported that it will work with its regional staff to map potential training participants in each state and set goals for delivery of the course to state and local emergency managers. The agency also reported that it may be able to use data in the State Preparedness Report and states' self-reporting on the need for training on integrating the needs of people with access and functional needs into emergency management. As of January 2018, the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination reported plans to hire a permanent staff person to review, assess, and recommend how FEMA should incorporate disability into all internal and external training. In August 2018, FEMA reported hiring a new Program and Policy Branch Chief in July 2018, and noted that this individual will formulate a plan to incorporate the needs of people with disabilities into internal and external training over several weeks. However, FEMA did not address whether this individual will seek information about the potential pool of external participants, or set goals for the number of state and local emergency managers who could participate in external training. FEMA also reported providing just-in-time training in the field to support field staff in providing services to people with disabilities. The agency anticipates completing these efforts by December 31, 2019 and we will consider closing this recommendation when the agency can document it has addressed the recommendation.