TE 04 Remote Housing Assessment Script.xlsx

Read This First Remote Housing Assessment Script Feb-22

Hello, my name is ________________ and I am a contracted assessor (or assessor for FEMA employees) with FEMA, my assessor number is _________________and I am trying to reach (applicant name). I’m calling regarding the application for assistance you submitted to FEMA.

Due to the current conditions surrounding COVID-19 and to ensure public safety, we will need to perform your assessment by phone / video (optional by customer), and we will be discussing disaster caused damages to your dwelling, personal property, and other needs.

This interview may take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Do you have time for this call now?

(If not, provide the applicant with your contact number and acceptable times to reach you in the next 7 days).

Before I continue, I must tell you this call may be monitored for quality assurance purposes. The Privacy Act of 1974 protects your rights as to how FEMA uses and shares your information. The Stafford Act and other authorities allow FEMA to collect this information to determine eligibility and administer financial assistance as a result of an Emergency or Presidentially declared disaster. The information I collect may be shared with Federal, State and Local service providers to help find additional assistance for your household’s disaster recovery needs. In addition to the information we will collect from you during your assessment, we may use Government provided post-event visual imagery to validate your claim.

Additionally, a FEMA quality control assessor may contact you to discuss your damage and may view the exterior of your home. You are not required to complete this assessment. However, if you do not complete your assessment, you may not be eligible for assistance with your home repairs. The information that you give must be true and correct. Intentionally making false statements or concealing any information to obtain disaster aid is a violation of federal and state laws.

Do you understand this statement?

(Applicants who do not understand or answer no, return the assessment as Withdrawn)

Because of the Privacy Act, I need to ask you a question in order to verify that I am speaking to the right person. Can you please provide me with the last four digits of your 9-digit FEMA assistance application number … also known as the registration number?

(If not verified, ask the applicant to call FEMA’s Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) to obtain their Registration ID, and once obtained, to call or text you for the interview to be conducted).

Thank you for confirming and to validate that I am representing FEMA and authorized to conduct this interview, I will provide you with the first four digits of your 9-digit registration number (provide the first 4 digits of their Registration number).

Once verified, proceed to the Questions Tab

Use the following statement for applicants who do not answer calls, or for use when texting an interview appointment:

“This is ___, an assessor with FEMA. I’m contacting you regarding your application for FEMA assistance. Please call me anytime between X AM and X PM at [XXX-XXX-XXXX] so we can discuss your damage.”

Questions Remote Housing Assessment Script

3” to 2’ (Between ankle and knee) 2’ 1" to 4’ (Between knee and waist) 4’ 1" to 6’ (Between waist and head) Greater than 6’ (Over your head)

Read this Last Remote Housing Assessment Script

I will upload this information to FEMA today and you should hear back from FEMA within the next 10 days. You may be contacted by the Small Business Administration (SBA). If you are, FEMA encourages you to complete the application process even if you don’t want a loan. You may be randomly selected for a follow up quality control assessment or a customer service survey.

Do you have any other questions I can answer for you before I go? [Answer Questions] If you think of any other questions, please feel free to call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA). Thank you for your time.

Guidance Remote Housing Assessment Script

Assumption:

Remote assessment will be assigned to experienced assessors who are familiar with the intuitive screen-by-screen flow of the ACE assessment software as well as the procedures and guidelines that govern the assessment process. Assessors make phone contact with the applicant and follow the standard protocol they use on field assessments. They begin by verbally confirming the applicant’s name and contact information and proceeding to follow the prompts in the ACE software for things like household members, number of bedrooms occupied, utility outages, and unmet needs. The assessor follows a guided script, asking the applicant questions about the type of home they live in, the foundation, and the degree of damage the home sustained from the disaster. The assessor may ask any off-script clarifying questions as they deem necessary from their experience and from the information the applicant provides and arrives at an overall classification of the degree of damage to the structure of the home. Once the assessor has determined the level of structural damage to real property, the ACE prompts for personal property room furnishings and appliances are addressed using the context of the real property damage as the evidence or lack of evidence.

Assessor Damage Level Procedure:

Record the SINGLE greatest damage level for each reported COD. Dwelling’s containing a basement where flooding rose to the first floor inundating the basement, record both a basement damage level and a first floor damage level. Dwellings with heating/cooling, exterior well, septic system, road/bridges, or landslide damages will include the appropriate line item for these damages. Use the damage classifications below to confirm the appropriate Renter RP damage level.

Procedure and ACE Functionality:

Use the Interview Question MS Excel file to determine the real property level of damage to the home. Only answer those with an orange background. When done with questions, either roll back all answers until the form is blank, or close it without saving and open again for use with next applicant.

Check the comments section before contacting the applicant. If FEMA has confirmed the home is destroyed you will see a comment “GIS_DEST”. To be absolutely sure, verify with the applicant that their home was destroyed. If so, record the appropriate destroyed line items for an owner (residence rebuild, travel trailer replace, or mobile home replace) or select “Destroyed” for a renter in the Habitability Compromised screen. Then proceed with the inspection as normal for addressing personal property.

Conduct the remote assessment with the Registrant, Co-Registrant, or authorized third party.

Use the 9 digit FEMA registration number to confirm the applicant’s identity. Ask the applicant to give you the last four digits to confirm their ID, and provide them with the first four digits to confirm you are a legitimate assessor.

Do not request or accept to receive any electronic documents, photos, or videos from the applicant. Exception for video conferencing when conducting the interview, but do not retain any images.

When the applicant acknowledges their understanding, begin the assessment process following the screens in ACE. Confirm primary residence, the date the damage occurred, addresses and contact information, household composition, bedrooms occupied, insurance coverage, unmet needs, clothing, work and school items, and all other information as you normally would.

Select No for Photo ID Viewed.

For the majority of CONUS located dwellings, FEMA will have verified occupancy and, when applicable, ownership prior to the assessment being issued. When not confirmed by FEMA, assessors are required to attempt to confirm Occupancy/Primary Residency or Home Ownership using any feasible methods within assessment guidance, such as calling a landlord to verify occupancy for a renter or a URL for a tax website for ownership.

Intent to occupy: Do not attempt to prove intent to occupy. Record occupancy as “Not Verified” and comment about the impending relocation.

o Comment: “Offsite Assessment - Intent to occupy” Homeless: Change the applicant to a renter. The Habitability Compromised selection will be No, and limited personal property will be recorded.

Do not record eligible (miscellaneous) purchased items purchased or rented in response to the disaster. If they say they purchased an item, advise them to call the FEMA helpline for more information and keep their receipt as they will need to submit it in the future.

Address personal property as you normally would, using what you have determined about the damage to the home as the evidence to validate (or not validate) all personal property.

For vehicles, if the applicant answers Yes to the first question and No to the second question indicating they have a transportation need, address the year, make and model of all vehicles. Address the level of damage for all vehicles as “not available”. Address vehicle registration and liability insurance based on the applicant’s verbal statements, and address the liability insurance policy viewed as No. If the vehicle is “Not Available” add a comment “Offsite Assessment = Vehicle not available” Use 100 for the size of the home.

Non-traditional housing: Select “Other” for residence type and a descriptive comment. For example: “Offsite Assessment – Tent on bare earth” A habitable home is safe, sanitary and functional. Habitability will be based on the home’s condition immediately following the event for Owners; and at the time of the phone interview for Renters. FEMA has determined that it is reasonable to expect applicants or their landlords to make some repairs of a minor nature without federal assistance. If the assessor determines, after further questioning the applicant of the dwelling’s condition that the disaster caused damages are minimal enough for it to be reasonable to expect them or the landlord to make repairs, DO NOT RECORD A DAMAGE LEVEL or SERVICE CALLS, and select “No” for Habitability Compromised.

Record Real Property line items for owners in the exterior room.

Flooded Crawlspace: When flooding exists in a crawlspace, ask the applicant if flood waters reached the dwelling’s floor insulation, bottom board insulation, ductwork or subflooring. If Yes, record the Damage Level of 1 for the residence type recording a high water location on the first floor of 1”.

o Do not record a damage level merely if the crawlspace received water or when claiming soft floors (releveling)… HWM in Garage and not in dwelling: When flooding type waters enter the garage and not on the first occupied floor, DO NOT record a flood damage level for the first floor unless floor insulation/ductwork is damaged per the Crawlspace guidance. If there is damage to a furnace in the garage, record the HVAC Service Call.

Habitability Special Conditions:

Address habitability compromised as Yes if you have determined that the real property damage is:

If HRR= No: Add a comment describing the situation. For example:

Address current location based on the applicant’s statement as normal.

Comment Field:

American Sign Language Interpreter Services: Assessors will conduct interviews requiring the use of sign language interpretive services through the Video Relay Services (VRS).

RP Line Items

Sheet1

Matrix

Data

Service Calls