FY 2024 Refugee Support Services Formula Allocations

July 2, 2024

Dear Colleague:

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has determined the Refugee Support Services (RSS) funding for each state¹ for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The FY 2024 RSS allocations are based on a two-year lookback period of individuals who attained ORR-eligible status and were served between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2023. Additionally, Congress provided ORR additional funding in the FY2024 National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (PL 118-50); ORR allocated a portion of the FY 2024 RSS Base funds derived from this supplement based on state reported data on Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees, and data on Ukrainian arrivals in the United States from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As outlined in DCL 23-14, ORR uses state-submitted data to determine an initial RSS base funding allocations prior to completing the traditional match process. Upon completion of that traditional match process, which reconciles the data submitted by the states with federal sources, ORR will update its data for the purpose of allocations in the subsequent fiscal year (in this case FY 2025).

On October 20, 2023, the Administration submitted a request to Congress which included $1.853 billion in emergency supplemental funding to provide resettlement assistance to ORR-eligible populations, primarily Cuban and Haitian Entrants. Congress did not approve that request. As such, the final FY 2024 appropriation is $307 million for Refugee Social Services and $564 million for Transitional and Medical Services—a straight-line of the base appropriation enacted in FY 2023, excluding emergency supplemental appropriations.  

Although the FY 2025 President's Budget requests an increase of $1.2 billion for Refugee Support Services, including a request for emergency supplemental appropriations, ORR’s practice is to prudently plan in case full-year appropriations are not enacted on October 1st. We recommend that states and providers do the same. Based on current funding levels and arrival patterns, ORR does not anticipate the availability of any refugee program federal carryover funding entering FY 2025.

To ensure funds are maximized, ORR will analyze unobligated balances for prior year RSS awards. ORR will ask grantees whose unobligated balances exceed a certain threshold for assurance that the funds included in this DCL will be utilized.

Funding Formula

The FY 2022 and FY 2023 RSS Populations Served and Final FY 2024 RSS Base Allocation chart below displays the “population served” figures used by ORR to determine the FY 2024 RSS base funding allocations within the chart. To arrive at the total population served figures, ORR compiled FY 2022 and FY 2023 data from the ORR Refugee Arrivals Data System (RADS) as follows:

• For initial arrival Refugees, Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants (SIVs), Victims of Human Trafficking (VOT), Afghan Humanitarian Parolee (AHP) secondary migrants, and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee (UHP) secondary migrants, ORR used arrival data from federal sources.
• For Cuban/Haitian Entrants and for Asylees, ORR used service data submitted by states, as well as FY 2022 service data previously submitted and matched with federal sources.
• For U.S. Citizen Babies, ORR used data submitted by states for babies born to eligible individuals within the lookback period.
• For Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees, ORR used arrival data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as service data submitted by states. The two data sets were weighted equally.

ORR then calculated each state's base funding allocation by applying their proportion of the total population served to the total amount of available FY 2024 RSS base funds. To ensure that all states have sufficient funding for program sustainability, ORR capped individual state allocations at 40% of the total funding available. ORR then proportionally redistributed any funds that would otherwise be allocated to a state above the 40% level to states below the 40% threshold. ORR also included a $75,000 funding floor.

ORR allocated a portion of the funds available based on the traditional population served, and a portion based on the Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee population arrived and served. Consistent with the FY 2023 RSS Base award outlined in DCL 23-21, which also included funds allocated based on Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee data, the total allocation may be used to serve all eligible individuals. There is no requirement to allocate funds separately between UHPs and other eligible populations.

As required under ORR regulation 45 C.F.R. §400.210, these funds must be obligated by September 30, 2025, and must be liquidated by September 30, 2026.

Services

States must provide services in accordance with 45 CFR Part 400 Subpart I — Refugee Social Services, ORR Policy Letters (PLs) 18-04, 21-06, 22-14, and, if a state requested waivers modifying RSS requirements, ORR PLs 21-08, 22-16, and 23-01. Although the allocation formula is based on the two most recent fiscal year (24 months) refugee population served, states may provide services to refugees who have been in the country up to 60 months (5 years), with the exception of referral and interpreter services and citizenship and naturalization preparation services, for which there is no time limitation (45 CFR §400.152(b)).

The regulations at 45 C.F.R. §400.154 and §400.155 define services allowable under RSS. If a state wishes to provide additional services not delineated in these sections, pursuant to 45 C.F.R. §400.155(h), a state must submit a request to the ORR Director and receive approval, prior to providing the service.

In accordance with 45 CFR §400.147, states must provide social services to refugees⁶ in the following order of priority, except in certain individual extreme circumstances: (a) all newly arriving refugees during their first year in the United States who apply for services; (b) refugees who are receiving cash assistance; (c) unemployed refugees who are not receiving cash assistance; and (d) employed refugees in need of services to retain employment or to attain economic independence. States should, to the extent possible, ensure that all newly arriving refugees receive refugee-specific services designed to address the employment barriers that refugees typically face.

In accordance with PL 21-06, a state must ensure that each individual member of a household is assessed for a family self-sufficiency plan (FSSP), is subsequently referred to services, and receives appropriate follow-up assessments minimally at six and twelve months post enrollment.

Reporting

For RSS, states submit the semi-annual ORR-6 Performance Report (OMB Clearance Number 0970- 0036), schedules A, C, D, and the Annual Service Plan. States also submit the annual RSS Sub-grantee report (OMB Clearance Number 0970-0556). These reports may be found at: https://acf.gov/orr/form/report-forms.

States must also submit the Standard Form (SF) 425 Federal Financial Report through the Payment Management System (PMS) on a quarterly basis. For questions regarding PMS, please contact the PMS Help Desk at 877.614.5533 or pmssupport@psc.gov.

States are required to submit data for all RSS enrollments through the ORR-5, Refugee Data Submission System for Formula Funds Allocations.

If you have any questions about the RSS allocations, please contact your ORR Regional Representative/Regional Analyst or ORR’s Division of Refugee Assistance, at DRAPrograms@acf.hhs.gov.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Tota
Bureau Chief
Refugee Program Bureau 
Office of Refugee Resettlement