About the Community Assistance Program – State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE)

Authority & Requirements

Objectives

Priorities

Performance Measures

Community Assistance Program – State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE) helps states proactively identify, prevent and resolve floodplain management issues in participating communities before a flood event even occurs.

The program derives its authority from the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and from the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR) Parts 59 and 60.

The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 prohibits the Director from providing flood insurance in a community unless that community adopts and enforces floodplain management measures that meet or exceed minimum criteria in 44 CFR Part 60.3. These floodplain management measures can take the form of floodplain management ordinances, building codes or zoning provisions.

FEMA Regional Offices and the designated state agency negotiate a CAP-SSSE Agreement that specifies activities and products to be completed by a state in return for CAP-SSSE funds. There is a 25 percent non-federal match for all states receiving CAP-SSSE funds.

Objectives

The Community Assistance Program – State Support Services Element (CAP- SSSE) program provides funding to states to provide technical assistance (e.g., mapping and regulation support, compliance actions, workshops/training, and more) to communities in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and to evaluate community performance in implementing NFIP floodplain management activities. CAP-SSSE aligns with and supports the DHS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024, Goal 5: Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience. CAP-SSSE strives to leverage state knowledge and expertise to provide support to communities through activities that most effectively reduce flood losses. The CAP-SSSE cooperative agreement funds eligible activities to enable state NFIP coordinating agencies to meet the provisions set forth in 44 C.F.R.§ 60.25 and the goals and performance expectations of the funding agency: FEMA and the NFIP.

As a result of CAP-SSSE funding, states have increased the number of community outreach and meetings, workshops and trainings held, contracted dollars for additional capacity, and average state investment.

The goal of the CAP-SSSE program is to support State NFIP Coordinating Agencies to reduce risk and help to avoid losses from flood events as they provide technical assistance and floodplain management support to flood prone and NFIP-participating communities within their states or territories.

To further this goal, the program will pursue the following objectives:

• Increase state programs’ capability and capacity to effectively manage their programs such that they perform at or above their annual performance measure commitments.
• Support state programs’ capacity to assist communities with NFIP compliance, including supporting communities’ ongoing administration and enforcement of floodplain management standards as well as auditing community compliance with NFIP minimum standards and assisting local actions to address any issues.
• Support state programs to ensure that communities adopt updated flood risk data in a timely and consistent manner, including adoption of any updated ordinances or regulations.
• Support state programs to help communities adopt higher floodplain management standards.
• Support state programs’ efforts to increase understanding of floodplain management among local officials and other stakeholders through trainings, outreach, and technical assistance.
• Coordinate with other state and federal agencies to ensure that floodplain management information is benefiting other activities where appropriate.

Priorities

The CAP-SSSE program priorities detailed below highlight key items that applicants should focus on in administering funding authorized by this NOFO. These priorities provide guidance on important topics, tasks, and activities that funding should be allocated towards to support participation and compliance with the NFIP.

States will continue to support efforts to document and improve compliance with the NFIP regulations for new and existing state-owned and managed property in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), by the December 2024 deadline, unless an extension is appropriate to accommodate the state legislative cycle.

FEMA is currently redesigning the Community Assistance Visit (CAV) and Community Assistance Contact (CAC) processes into the new NFIP Compliance Audit process. States will be expected to attend webinars, trainings, and other events to increase their knowledge and understanding of the NFIP Compliance Audit in preparation for implementation of the new process in FY25. States may also be requested to participate in additional testing for the NFIP Compliance Audit process.

• Note – As part of the redesign effort, FEMA will be sunsetting the current CAV and CAC processes and transitioning to the new NFIP Compliance Audit process in 2025.

States are required to enter activities into the Community Information System (CIS), FEMA’s system of record. States are expected to participate in training and engagements about the updated system and may be asked to provide feedback or test different aspects before they are implemented.

The FY24 Period of Performance (POP) is the last POP to be scored in the mandatory 2026 TSF Assessment, which will cover activities conducted in FY22, FY23, and FY24. States should prioritize work activities that satisfy the requirements of new characteristics in the Tiered State Framework, including characteristics II.C Basic Floodplain Management Training Coverage, II.H Addressing Equity in Floodplain Management, II.I Improving Resilience to Climate Change and Future Conditions, III.D Map Adoption, and IV.G Strategic Planning.

Performance Measures

FEMA’s Floodplain Management program monitors performance through four program measures to which state NFIP Coordinating Offices are required to contribute in addition to any other annual performance commitments they have agreed upon with the FEMA Regional office. These include:

• Map Adoption. States must meet the national metric of at least 93% map adoptions for those participating communities that receive Letters of Final Determination (LFDs) in their state. Each Regional office may set higher targets for map adoption.
• Community Engagement. States must have contact with a designated percentage of the participating communities in their state by community audits (Community Assistance Visits [CAVs], Community Assistance Contacts [CACs]), General Technical Assistance (GTA), Regulation Assistance, or Workshops. States and the FEMA Regional CAP Coordinator will negotiate “Expected” and “Excellence” targets for the percentage of communities that will be engaged during the Period of Performance (POP). These targets will be documented in the Statement of Work (SOW).
• Higher Standards Adoption. States must commit to a designated number of communities where, through various types of engagements, they will ensure the community adopts higher standards for floodplain management than what is minimally required by the NFIP. States and the FEMA Regional CAP Coordinator will negotiate “Expected” and “Excellence” targets for the number of communities adopting a higher standard during the POP. These targets will be documented in the Statement of Work (SOW).
• Community Compliance Improvement. States must commit to a designated number of communities in which they will conduct new and close existing community assistance contacts and visits (CACs and CAVs). This target will directly support the Regional and National goal to assess a certain percentage of the entire NFIP every five years. States and the FEMA Regional CAP Coordinator will negotiate “Expected” and “Excellence” targets for the number of CAVs and CACs that will be conducted and closed during the POP. These targets will be documented in the Statement of Work (SOW).