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would provide much less benefit than serving households that experienced more severe impacts, <br />diluting the benefits of the SLFRF funds. <br />In all, Treasury anticipates that these selected thresholds, combined with the regional <br />adjustment, will allow resources to be targeted toward individuals and households with the <br />greatest need while also reducing administrative burdens on recipients. <br />Disproportionately Impacted Populations: In the interim final rule, Treasury enumerated <br />a broader set of eligible uses for disproportionately impacted communities, in recognition of the <br />pre-existing health, economic, and social disparities that contributed to disproportionate <br />pandemic impacts in certain communities and that addressing root causes of those disparities <br />constitutes responding to the public health and negative economic impacts of the pandemic. To <br />identify these communities and reduce administrative burden, Treasury allowed recipients to <br />presume that certain populations those in QCTs and those being served by Tribal <br />governments were disproportionately impacted. In the final rule, to further decrease <br />administrative burden and enhance recipient flexibility, Treasury is allowing recipients to also <br />presume that low-income households were disproportionately impacted. Treasury anticipates that <br />adding low-income households as a presumed eligible population will maintain targeting of <br />funds to populations and communities most likely to have experienced severe pandemic impacts, <br />while providing a more flexible approach for recipients. <br />Identifying Impacted Classes: In the final rule, Treasury reiterated its stance in the <br />interim final rule allowing recipients to designate a class of households or other entities as <br />impacted or disproportionately impacted and provide responsive services. After designating a <br />class, recipients can serve a household or entity by simply identifying that the household or <br />entity is a member of the class. Relative to restricting services to only presumed eligible <br />387 <br />