From left to right, front row: Janice Will, Sharon Caine and Chuck Rairdan. Middle row: Marlene Leichus, Maria Guzman, Kathy Burnett, Lar... VIEW ORIGINAL
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District's real estate division has paid more than $230 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-expanded Homeowners Assistance Program.
More than $238.2 million has been paid to 1,446 applicants as of April 22, according to the real estate division of the Sacramento District. Funds became available on Sept. 30, 2009, after the Office of the Secretary of Defense approved the processing of applications. Applicants include personnel from all five branches of the military. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the program on behalf of the military branches, with the Sacramento District responsible for the western half of the U.S. A total of 10 states are covered by the Sacramento District, as well as American military installations in the Pacific region.
The district's success with the program is thanks to teamwork, said Chuck Rairdan, chief of the real estate division's Department of Defense branch.
"Definitely teamwork. With so many moving parts and procedures along with a high volume of applications, our success has depended heavily upon a spirit of cooperation and close coordination amongst all our team members," said Rairdan.
Over $224 million was paid to applicants needing assistance due to a permanent change of station (PCS); about $2.1 million was paid to surviving spouses of the fallen; $11.7 million for wounded service members; and the rest of the funds for personnel affected by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005.
There are still more than 2,000 applications, primarily involving PCS, going through the real estate division, with a current workload of 600 applications being worked on by the real estate division at any one time.
Reaching the current maintained workload took some time at first, said Rairdan.
"In the beginning it was quite challenging, as it was a new, Stimulus-funded program with no formal rules in place," said Rairdan. "Going through the federal rule-making process while hiring staff and getting the program up and running was quite the exercise, but a rewarding experience made possible by a dedicated group of folks working hard and putting their heads together."
Throughout the process, the goal of the real estate division remained the same, said Rairdan. "To keep the needs of our service members, the HAP applicants, in the forefront."
HAP is a Department of Defense program approved by Congress in 1966, originally aimed at providing aid to military families and civilian personnel affected by BRAC. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Public Law 111-5, expanded HAP to provide assistance to wounded service members or Department of Defense civilians reassigned due to medical or rehabilitation purposes, or retirement due to their disability; surviving spouses of the fallen; BRAC 2005 impacted homeowners; and service members undergoing a PCS during the mortgage crisis.
The Sacramento District was the first of three Corps districts responsible for processing HAP claims to issue a check and the first to issue a check to a surviving spouse.
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