Refugee Assistance Program Estimates: Cash and Medical Assistance (CMA) – ORR-1

As mandated by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) regulations at 45 CFR § 400.11(b), recipients must submit annual estimates for reimbursable costs under the Cash and Medical Assistance (CMA) programs, categorized by expense type, along with a justification statement in support of the estimates. To meet this requirement, recipients must submit the ORR-1 CMA Program Estimates form annually as part their application for the CMA program, which funds cash assistance, medical assistance, services to unaccompanied refugee minors, and related administrative costs. A budget justification in support of the CMA estimates must be submitted along with the ORR-1 form. However, ORR does not currently provide a standardized budget justification template. As a result, submissions vary widely in format, content, and level of detail, making it challenging to extract and standardize information. This increases the burden on both ORR reviewers and recipients. This request is to extend approval of the ORR-1 with revisions to include a standardized format for submission of the budget justification. This new process will require States and Replacement Designees (RD) to submit budget justifications in a standardized format via a Microsoft Excel workbook (ORR-1 Instructions and Budget Workbook) with each tab of the justification in alignment with a specific line on the ORR-1. The ORR-1 form has been updated with minor revisions, including updated column and line titles that reflect current terminology, and a simplified structure that replaces unit cost estimates with total cost estimates. These revisions are a result of the standardization of the budget justification. The revised instructions, which are now embedded within the standardized budget justification, provide guidance to recipients on how to fill out each section of the standardized budget justification.

The latest form for Refugee Assistance Program Estimates: Cash and Medical Assistance (CMA) – ORR-1 expires 2028-08-31 and can be found here.