Farm Disaster Aid Paperwork Drags On Despite Closed Applications
Published Date: 12/5/2025
Notice
Summary
The Farm Service Agency is extending and updating the paperwork for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phases 1 and 2, which helped farmers recover from disasters like wildfires and floods in 2020 and 2021. Even though applications are closed and payments sent, they might need more info to make sure everyone followed the rules. Comments on this update are open until February 3, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
ERP payments require 2-year insurance
If you received an Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 1 or Phase 2 payment, the law (Pub. L. 117-43) requires you to buy crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for the next 2 available years. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will check RMA and FSA records to verify compliance; if FSA can’t confirm compliance from those records, you will be mailed a request to submit supporting documentation to keep your ERP payment and will later be told FSA’s final compliance decision.
Paperwork time estimate for producers
FSA estimates this information collection will involve 218,930 producers, about 244,480 total annual responses, an average of 0.102155596 hours (about 6 minutes) per response, and a total annual burden of 24,975 hours. FSA revised these respondent and burden estimates to reflect ERP participants who received payments and the compliance activities tied to verifying insurance or NAP coverage.
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