City will assist LW in FEMA reimbursement for vaccine clinics

CITY OF SEAL BEACH

GRF could get $90K in COVID-19 costs reimbursed

by Emma DiMaggio

Communications Manager

The Golden Rain Foundation could be reimbursed up to $90,000 for the COVID-19 vaccine clinics it held during the pandemic, thanks to a partnership with the City of Seal Beach.

On Jan. 27, the Seal Beach City Council unanimously approved an agreement that will allow the city to request reimbursement for GRF’s COVID- 19 vaccine clinic expenses to FEMA on behalf of the foundation. Those clinics vaccinated approximately 5,000 people during the height of the pandemic, many of whom were high-risk seniors.

It’s been a long road to get to this point, according to GRF Recreation Manager Kathy Thayer, who led the effort alongside GRF Senior Accountant Barbara Shuler.

The two began work on reimbursement in November 2021, initially reaching out to Orange County Health Care Agency, since it was thought that the Orange County Health Department initially authorized Leisure World as a vaccination site. They pointed Thayer and Shuler to the State of California, where she ultimately hit a dead end.

Thayer then decided to take a more local route, approaching then-Congresswoman Michelle Steel’s office. Steel assigned a congressional aide to work on the case with FEMA, but the progress was short-lived. Seal Beach was redistricted in 2022. Once the boundaries were updated, Steel no longer represented Leisure World.

Thayer pivoted to then-Rep. Katy Porter, who also assigned an aide to the case and connected GRF with Brian Frank of the California Office of Emergency Services.

“Finally, there was a light at the end of the tunnel as the proposal was now in the hands of the governor’s office,” Thayer said.

Just inches away from the finish line, the clock ran out on all program deadlines available for COVID reimbursement.

“I wasn’t about to give up after we had come this far,” Thayer said. “We’re looking at $90,000 of shareholder money.”

Frank, the disaster assistance program specialist who had been helping GRF at the state level, offered another option: if the Golden Rain Foundation could get the City of Seal Beach on its side, it could petition for a retroactive application under the city’s disaster program.

Thayer went back to work collecting documentation. With the help of GRF staff, she compiled payroll data, newspaper clippings and pandemic-era emails to prove GRF’s case for reimbursement.

From there, a coalition of Seal Beach Councilman Nathan Steele, Seal Beach Police Department Sgt. Brian Gray and GRF staff worked diligently to secure the proper documentation and approvals for the Jan. 27 council proposal.

Now, just two weeks after the Seal Beach City Council approved the item, the ball is in FEMA’s court.

“It’s still not a done deal and there is a hard road ahead with FEMA,” Thayer said. “But thanks to the dedication of all the players along the way, we are hopeful.”

Thousands of Leisure World residents received COVID-19 vaccinations in GRF-sponsored clinics during the pandemic, including this resident who got the shot during a 2021 clinic in Clubhouse 6.

Ruth Osborn