Sisolak welcomes FEMA reimbursement for Guard

Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday welcomed the news that President Joe Biden directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fully reimburse states for the cost of National Guard personnel and emergency costs dating to the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020.

In addition to the reimbursement of the cost of National Guard mobilization, the administration also announced the emergency costs for FEMA-eligible services include masks, gloves, emergency feeding actions and sheltering at-risk populations.

“This is extremely welcome news for the state of Nevada,” Sisolak said in a statement. “States and local governments have shouldered the immense costs of this pandemic, hampering their abilities to provide critical services to those most in need. “Most notably, we are grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for including a retroactive 100% reimbursement for the mobilization of the Nevada National Guard, which was requested and denied multiple times last year.

“The Nevada National Guard continues to be an immensely important part of our state’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and I am grateful the Biden-Harris administration recognizes their role and is providing the necessary funding for this work and for other expenses states have incurred.”

The federal government estimates the total cost of this reimbursement to be between $3 billion and $5 billion for all states. At this time, state agencies are working to determine how much this reimbursement will equate to for Nevada.

Sisolak activated the Nevada National Guard in early April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-10 response is both the largest and longest activation in Nevada National Guard history.

“The Nevada National Guard is honored to support our community and the residents of Nevada,” Nevada National Guard Adjutant General Major General Ondra Berry said. “The extension and authorization will allow for uninterrupted support by our soldiers and airmen to help bring an end to this pandemic.”