This part implements the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act (Act), Division G of Public Law 117-180, 136 Stat. 2114, 2168, which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Office of Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Claims (“Claims Office”) to receive, evaluate, process, and pay actual compensatory damages for injuries resulting from the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.

It is our policy to provide for the expeditious resolution of damage claims through a process that is administered with sensitivity to the burdens placed upon claimants by the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.

Information and assistance concerning the Act is available from the Claims Office, Federal Emergency Management Agency online at https://www.fema.gov/hermits-peak.

Administrative Appeal means an appeal of the Authorized Official's Determination to the Director of the Claims Office in accordance with the provisions of Subpart E of this part.

Administrative Record means all information submitted by the claimant and all information collected by FEMA concerning the claim, which is used to evaluate the claim and to formulate the Authorized Official's Determination. It also means all information that is submitted by the claimant or FEMA in an Administrative Appeal and the decision of the Administrative Appeal. It excludes the opinions, memoranda and work papers of FEMA attorneys and drafts of documents prepared by Claims Office personnel and contractors.

Administrator means the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Arbitration Administrator means the FEMA official responsible for administering arbitration procedures to resolve disputes regarding a claim. Contact information for the Arbitration Administrator can be found online at https://www.fema.gov/hermits-peak.

Authorized Official means an employee of the United States who is delegated with authority by the Director of the Claims Office to render binding determinations on claims and to determine compensation due to claimants under the Act.

Authorized Official's Determination means a report signed by an Authorized Official and mailed to the claimant evaluating each element of the claim as stated in the Proof of Loss and determining the compensation, if any, due to the claimant.

Claimant means a person who has filed a Notice of Loss under the Act.

Claims Office means the Office of Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Claims.

Claims Reviewer means an employee of the United States or a Claims Office contractor or subcontractor who is authorized by the Director of the Claims Office to review and evaluate claims submitted under the Act.

Days means calendar days, including weekends and holidays.

Director means an Independent Claims Manager appointed by the Administrator who will serve as the Director of the Claims Office.

Good Cause, for purposes of extending the deadline for filing, supplementing a claim, or reopening a claim includes, but is not limited to: instances where a claimant, through no fault of their own, may not be able to access needed documentation in time to submit a claim or transmit relevant information or data; or where damage is found after a claim has been submitted; or other instances in which the Director of the Claims Office, in their discretion, determines that an undue hardship or change in circumstances on the claimant warrants an extension of a deadline or the supplementation or reopening of existing claims.

Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire means:

(1) The fire resulting from the initiation by the U.S. Forest Service of a prescribed burn in the Santa Fe National Forest in San Miguel County, New Mexico on April 6, 2022;

(2) The pile burn holdover resulting from the prescribed burn by the U.S. Forest Services which reemerged on April 19, 2022; and

(3) The merger of the two fires described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this definition, reported as the Hermit's Peak Fire or the Hermit's Peak Fire/Calf Canyon Fire.

Household means a group of people, related or unrelated, who live together on a continuous basis and does not include members of an extended family who do not regularly and continuously cohabit.

Household Including Tribal Members means a Household that existed on April 6, 2022, which included one or more Tribal Members as continuous residents.

Indian Tribe means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, component band, or components reservation individually identified (including parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of September 30, 2022, pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994.

Individual Assistance means the FEMA program established under subchapter IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5121, et seq., which provides assistance to individuals and families adversely affected by a major disaster or an emergency.

Injured Person means an individual, regardless of citizenship or alien status; or an Indian Tribe, Tribal corporation, corporation, partnership, company, association, county, township, city, State, school district, or other non-Federal entity that suffered injury resulting from the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. The term Injured Person includes an Indian Tribe with respect to any claim relating to property or natural resources held in trust for the Indian Tribe by the United States. Lenders holding mortgages or security interests on property affected by the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and lien holders are not an “Injured Person” for purposes of the Act.

Injury means “injury or loss of property, or personal injury or death,” as used in the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. 1346(b)(1).

Notice of Loss means a form supplied by the Claims Office through which an Injured Person or Subrogee makes a claim for possible compensation under the Act.

Proof of Loss means a statement attesting to the nature and extent of the claimant's injuries.

Public Assistance Program means the FEMA program established under Subchapter IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5121, et seq., which provides grants to States, local governments, Indian Tribes and private nonprofit organizations for emergency measures and repair, restoration, and replacement of damaged facilities.

Release and Certification Form means a document in the manner prescribed by section 104(e) of the Act that all claimants who have received or are awarded compensatory damages under the Act must execute and return to the Claims Office as required by § 296.30(c).

Subrogee means an insurer or other third party that has paid to a claimant compensation for Injury and is subrogated to any right that the claimant has to receive payment under the Act.

Subsistence Resources means food and other items obtained through hunting, fishing, firewood and other natural resource gathering, timbering, grazing or agricultural activities undertaken by the claimant without financial remuneration, on land damaged by the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.

Tribal Member means an enrolled member of an Indian Tribe.

(a) The Act is intended to provide persons who suffered Injury from the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire with a simple, expedited process to seek compensation from the United States. This section provides a brief explanation of the claims process for claims other than subrogation claims. It is not intended to supersede the more specific regulations that follow and explain the claims process in greater detail. To obtain compensation under the Act, an Injured Person must submit all Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire related claims against the United States or any employee, officer, or agency of the United States to the FEMA Claims Office. An Injured Person who elects to accept an award under the Act is barred from accepting an award pursuant to a claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act or a civil action against the United States or any employee, officer, or agency of the United States arising out of or relating to the same subject matter. Judicial review of FEMA decisions under the Act is available.

(b) The first step in the process is to file a Notice of Loss with the Claims Office. The Claims Office will provide the claimant with a written acknowledgement that the claim has been filed and a claim number.

(c) Shortly thereafter, a Claims Reviewer will contact the claimant to review the claim. Claims Reviewer will help the claimant formulate a strategy for obtaining any necessary documentation or other support. This assistance does not relieve the claimant of their responsibility for establishing all elements of the injuries and the compensatory damages that are sought, including that the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire caused the injuries. After the claimant has had an opportunity to discuss the claim with the Claims Reviewer, a Proof of Loss will be presented to the claimant for signature. After any necessary documentation has been obtained and the claim has been fully evaluated, the Claims Reviewer will submit a report to the Authorized Official. The Claims Reviewer is responsible for providing an objective evaluation of the claim to the Authorized Official.

(d) The Authorized Official will review the report and determine whether compensation is due to the claimant. The claimant will be notified in writing of the Authorized Official's determination. If the claimant is satisfied with the decision, payment will be made after the claimant returns a completed Release and Certification Form. If the claimant is dissatisfied with the Authorized Official's determination, an administrative appeal may be filed with the Director of the Claims Office. If the claimant remains dissatisfied after the appeal is decided, the dispute may be resolved through binding arbitration or heard in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.