• Always check your insurance first - expenses must not be recoverable through insurance, legal actions and financial assistance received from other sources.
• Expenses must be related to the need to respond to the disaster, to restore essential services and/or to repair damaged infrastructure.
• Costs related to recovery planning may also be considered, please consult with Manitoba EMO for further information.
• Expenses must be over and above what the local authority typically spends as part of its regular operating and maintenance budget.

To process your DFA claim, Manitoba EMO requires the following mandatory documents:

• A resolution from the local authority requesting DFA (see sample).
• A completed Community Impact Assessment.

Manitoba EMO publishes  Fact Sheets that help explain the DFA program in an easy-to-understand format. Reviewing these fact sheets will help you meet the requirements of the DFA program and will ensure you receive all the assistance you are entitled to, with less chance of deferred payments.

• Wildland Urban Interface Fire DFA Eligible Costs
• 1.0 An Introduction to Disaster Financial Assistance
• 2.0 Inspecting Damaged Sites after a Disaster
• 3.0 Record-keeping
• 4.0 Landscaping and Re-Vegetation after a Disaster
• 6.0 Municipal equipment
• 7.0 Personnel Costs
• 8.0 Debris removal and cleanup
• 10.0 Administering a DFA claim
• 13.0 Payments to Municipalities
• 14.0 Preparing Your Municipal Claim
• 15.0 Professional Engineering Services
• 16.0 Evacuation Costs
• 17.0 Damage Inspections and Repairs
• 19.0 Re-opening Infrastructure

• If a DFA program has not been announced and you have a disaster, a best practice is to track disaster-related costs and repairs separately in your local authority’s accounting system. Take pictures of damaged sites and temporary repairs. Make sure that you are also tracking machine hours, labour hours and material quantities per site, for repairs.
• Early estimates help EMO understand the financial impacts of the event. Talk to the staff in your local authority who have the best knowledge and can provide you with rough estimates to repair damage.
• Manitoba EMO requests communities complete the Community Impact Assessment (CIA) as soon as possible after the event and include the disaster-related costs experienced to-date.
• You may learn about new costs after you submit your CIA. The information communities provide in the CIA can be updated at any time by submitting a new CIA.

• If a DFA program is established for a disaster event, a Council Resolution must be submitted within 90 days. This is a mandatory step in the DFA process.
• Submission of a council resolution for the private sector is required even if damages are contained to private individuals only. Sample Wording for Council Resolution:
• for both Public Sector and Private Sector
• for Public Sector only
• for Private Sector only
• A detailed Community Impact Assessment should be sent with the Council Resolution if one has not already been submitted, or if more detailed information has become available.

• It takes Manitoba EMO time to understand the full impact of the disaster. Your local authority will be notified in writing once a decision has been made. If a DFA program is approved, Manitoba EMO will assign a recovery advisor to:
• Answer your questions regarding eligibility and procedures,
• Contact you if additional information is required,
• Be available to answer questions, and
• Process your claim.

• Manitoba EMO understands temporary and emergency repairs may be necessary to maintain a safe community. It is up to the local authority to decide if temporary repairs are necessary.
• Ensure the damages are photographed prior to repairs and track machine hours, materials used, etc.; this documentation will be reviewed during the inspection.

• Manitoba EMO will arrange for a contracted engineering consultant to inspect and document your damages after you receive written confirmation that your local authority has been accepted into the DFA program.
• You can ensure the process goes smoothly by preparing for the inspection in advance. The Inspecting Damaged Sites after a Disaster Fact Sheet provides additional information about the local authority inspection. Be sure to:
• Identify the damaged sites in a document.
• Prepare a map of your local authority locating all damaged sites and numbering them consecutively.
• Take photos of all damaged sites.
• Identify sites where pre-emptive action was taken or where emergency repairs were done.
• Identify a municipal employee to accompany the consultant during inspection.

• Local authorities will be provided with copies of Individual Site Damage Reports (ISDRs) at the time of inspection. EMO gets a copy of all ISDRs and will do a quick review to confirm that the repairs are eligible.
• Local authorities may perform repairs at their discretion prior to receiving confirmation of repair eligibility from EMO.
• Contact Manitoba EMO immediately if you find a site requires more work than previously noted during inspection or additional equipment time is needed. Failure to notify Manitoba EMO of any changes may result in that portion of the claim being denied.
• It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure they have received approval for work beyond that noted in the inspection report.
• Track expenses separately from regular operating costs.

• Claim submission(s) must be prepared in accordance with DFA policies and guidelines. Best practice is to submit one or several completed sites per submission.
• Best practice is to complete repairs prior to submitting a claim which includes all costs associated with restoring a site. Advance and progress payments are available to reduce carrying costs.
• Local authorities can upload files related to their DFA claims through Manitoba Municipalities Online (MMO) - Userguide.
• When Manitoba EMO receives a submission, it:
• evaluates the submission(s) in accordance with DFA policies and guidelines,
• issues payment and prepares a reconciliation statement identifying eligible, ineligible, and deferred items,
• advises about deferred items and requests additional supporting documentation to determine eligibility or ineligibility, and
• supplies a full reconciliation statement with the final payment identifying eligible and ineligible items.
• Solid record keeping ensures that your local authority recovers eligible costs after the disaster and is key to the smooth processing of your claim. Review the Record-Keeping Fact Sheet for more information.
• Claim Forms Procedures - Updated August 2023.

• Advance payments and progress payments can be considered under the DFA program; review the DFA Payments to Municipalities Fact Sheet for more information.
• DFA is only paid out for costs that are incurred by the local authority. You must provide invoices and proof of payments for items to receive DFA. All required documents must be submitted to Manitoba EMO before payment will be issued.
• DFA payments to local authorities are subject to a deduction based on the Provincial/Municipal DFA cost sharing formula. The formula increases annually to align with the Consumer Price Index. Use the Public Sector Cost Sharing Calculator found below the cost-sharing table to determine the local authority's share of expenses.
• Eligible local authorities may have the option of investing an amount equal to the DFA deductible into a disaster and mitigation preparedness project with the Mitigation and Preparedness Program (MPP). You will be notified in the program acceptance letter if an MPP program has been established.

• DFA programs are open for two years.
• All repairs must be completed, and all required documents must be submitted by the program closure date.
• Extensions may be granted in exceptional circumstances. Formal extension requests must be submitted in writing before the program closure date. Contact Manitoba EMO for more information on extensions.

• If you feel you have not received all the assistance you are eligible for, you can appeal the decision. You can base your appeal on two grounds: that your application was deemed ineligible under an approved DFA program, or you feel your claim amount is less than what you are eligible for.
• You cannot appeal the decision not to establish a DFA program.
• Information on submitting an appeal is provided once your claim is closed. A request for an appeal must be in writing and must clearly state the reason for the appeal.
• Step 1 - Internal Review. You must submit an appeal within 60 days of receiving EMO's written decision on your DFA application or receiving your final payment. Manitoba EMO will conduct the internal review and then confirm, set aside, or change the original decision.
• Step 2 - Appeal to the Manitoba Disaster Assistance Appeal Board. You can submit a second-stage appeal to the Manitoba Disaster Assistance Appeal Board. All decisions made by the Board are final and binding. To appeal, you must include:
• Your internal review decision from step 1 above.
• The grounds for your appeal.
• Reference to the provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation or the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements to support your appeal request.
• Manitoba EMO's internal review decision if one was obtained.