State must help Stony Brook University gets its FEMA money

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook University and the Long Island State Veterans Home submitted more than $195 million in claims for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

Since 2022, the institutions have sought to be paid back for thousands of expenses for equipment, supplies, labor and more. Private hospitals and universities that incurred similar costs to respond to a grave emergency could seek money directly from FEMA, and already have been reimbursed. But because Stony Brook is a state-regulated operation, it has had to work through New York's Division of the Budget in a cumbersome process that requires the state to communicate with FEMA.

So, despite repeated requests to the state and to elected officials for assistance, the hospital, university and veterans home are still waiting. To date, we know of one reimbursement — for $105,000 — that's been released. That's $105,000 out of $195,000,000 — or 0.05%. It's no wonder that Stony Brook University Hospital has had financial difficulties as a result of the reimbursement delays, forcing it to rely on a loan from the university.

It's unclear where exactly the blockages are occurring. Is FEMA too slow to reimburse, even years after the end of the pandemic? Is the state not acting with urgency in its own role as middleman? Neither is acceptable.

Since taking office, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has attempted to maintain an open and positive relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul — a good effort that should serve him, and the county, well. He wrote a letter to Hochul advocating for the reimbursement late last year. But he heard nothing in return. The only update came from a Hochul spokesman, who told the editorial board this week that her administration is "working closely with our federal and local partners to expedite payment ..."

It shouldn't take two or three years to "expedite payment."

Stony Brook University and Stony Brook University Hospital together are the county's largest employer, with thousands of faculty, physicians and staff. Together, their impact ripples through the county and the region, in the thousands of students they teach and patients they treat, and the research they facilitate and the businesses they build. During COVID, Stony Brook University Hospital was a critical source of help and, like so many others, faced challenges getting personal protective equipment, retaining and hiring staff, and isolating and treating patients.

Now, the hospital and university need state and federal officials to help them. Romaine thankfully has shed a spotlight on the situation. Now, Hochul must ensure her budget office has done its job and then work with federal officials to get the money into Stony Brook's coffers. With the future of FEMA and other federal funding sources in doubt, Long Island's important institutions shouldn't need to wonder whether money they've been owed for years will ever come their way.