---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 5205a"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "5205a"
heading: "Certain recoupment prohibited"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/5205a"
units:
  - "Chapter 68 — Disaster Relief"
  - "Subchapter V — Miscellaneous"
---

# §5205a. Certain recoupment prohibited

- (a) **In general—** Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) shall deem any covered [disaster](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2) assistance to have been properly procured, provided, and utilized, and shall restore any funding of covered [disaster](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2) assistance previously provided but subsequently withdrawn or deobligated.
- (b) **Covered disaster assistance defined—** In this section, the term “covered [disaster](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2) assistance” means assistance—
  - (1) provided to a [local government](/usc/42/5122.md?p=8) pursuant to section [5170b](/usc/42/5170b.md), [5172](/usc/42/5172.md), or [5173](/usc/42/5173.md) of this title; and
  - (2) with respect to which the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security has determined, after an audit, that—
    - (A) the [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) deployed to the [local government](/usc/42/5122.md?p=8) a Technical Assistance Contractor to review field operations, provide eligibility advice, and assist with day-to-day decisions;
    - (B) the Technical Assistance Contractor provided inaccurate information to the [local government](/usc/42/5122.md?p=8); and
    - (C) the [local government](/usc/42/5122.md?p=8) relied on the inaccurate information to determine that relevant contracts were eligible, reasonable, and reimbursable.
- (c) **Effective date—** This section shall be effective on October 5, 2018.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 115–254, div. D, § 1237, Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3464.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 and as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, and not as part of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act which comprises this chapter.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Definitions

For definition of “Agency” as used in this section, see section 1203 of Pub. L. 115–254, set out as a note under section 5122 of this title.