NJ gets $91M from FEMA to retroactively cover COVID relief costs

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New Jersey and some health care organizations within the state received more than $90 million March 26 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Relief Fund to support COVID-19 response and recovery.

The $91,533,584.41 in funding retroactively reimburses the recipients for pandemic-related costs after the Biden Administration eliminated the 25% local cost-share for certain eligible expenses.

Awards are as follows:

• Hackensack Meridian Health: $39,518,887.41
• New Jersey State Police: $32,439,617.80
• New Jersey Department of Health: $7,796,084.50
• Virtua Health: $3,652,052.52
• Cooper University Hospital: $2,501,064.05
• Care Plus: $2,257,784.54
• Salem County Hospital: $2,182,981.80
• Bergen County: $1,185,111.79

According to an announcement from U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, the senators pushed FEMA reform for years.

In May, Menendez led bipartisan legislation to eliminate cost-share payments required of states and communities included in federal disaster declarations in 2020 and led bipartisan requests calling on President Trump to eliminate the local cost-sharing for FEMA disaster grants. Booker joined him in those efforts.

Now, states and local governments will be retroactively reimbursed at 100% for eligible expenses to combat COVID-19 incurred since Jan. 2020 and can apply for full reimbursement for additional eligible expenses going forward.

“With FEMA eliminating the local cost-sharing requirement, New Jersey is now eligible to receive millions of dollars in additional federal funding to help our state continue responding and recovering from the impacts of this pandemic,” said Sen. Menendez in a prepared statement.

“This additional funding will ensure our communities, health care providers and first responders have the resources they need to protect the health and safety of all New Jerseyans,” he said.