ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is one of the most serious diseases 

that can affect your poultry flock. An HPAI outbreak is an animal disease 

emergency. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and States have 

authority to respond to and protect our country’s poultry and livestock from 

harmful diseases. 

First Steps 

The response process starts as soon as a case is suspected. Trained personnel 

will collect samples from your poultry for testing and confirmation. Initial 

testing will take place at a National Animal Health Laboratory Network 

(NAHLN) lab. With a positive test result from NAHLN, a suspect case 

becomes a “presumptive positive” case. A USDA case manager will be 

assigned to you and will be your liaison with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) throughout the entire process. The National 

Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) will then work to confirm initial 

test results. This can take some time, but will not slow down the onsite 

response process. 

Compensation Overview 

The Animal Health Protection Act authorizes USDA to provide indemnity 

payments to producers for birds and eggs that must be destroyed during a 

disease response. APHIS also provides compensation for depopulation and 

disposal activities and virus elimination activities. While the cost of HPAI goes 

well beyond the value of destroyed flocks and cleanup work, our ability to pay 

indemnity is limited by specific terms in the Animal Health Protection Act. For 

example, we cannot offer indemnity for income or production losses during 

downtime or other business disruptions due to HPAI. 

Indemnity Payments for Birds and Eggs 

USDA will compensate an individual for birds that must be destroyed using 

species-specific calculators. We also pay for some other losses, such as eggs 

that must be destroyed.

Making a Claim 

You will need to work with your case manager to sign an appraisal and 

indemnity request form and accept compensation for your birds. Once this 

paperwork is complete, APHIS can begin depopulation work and move 

forward with the claims process. While depopulation work is underway, APHIS 

will prepare the full appraisal and related paperwork with the compensation 

amount, which is split between owner and grower if they are separate entities. 

Once you sign the full appraisal and related paperwork and return it to your 

case manager, USDA can finalize the indemnity payment.

The HPAI Indemnity and Compensation Process

Start to Finish 

An HPAI outbreak is an animal 

disease emergency. The Animal 

Health Protection Act authorizes 

USDA to provide indemnity 

payments to producers as part 

of the disease response. 

Compensating you and other 

affected producers for some losses

and costs gives you needed 

support in a difficult time. 

WHAT’S COVERED? 

USDA does pay for indemnity for birds and 

eggs. USDA may also provide 

compensation for depopulation and 

disposal activities and virus elimination 

activities. 

USDA cannot offer indemnity for income or 

production losses suffered due to downtime 

or other business disruptions. 
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE 

Receiving Payment 

To receive your payment, you must register your “DUNS” number through 

the Federal Government’s System for Award Management (SAM). A DUNS 

number is the standard business identifier for Federal electronic commerce. 

If you already participate in certain USDA programs, you probably already 

have a DUNS number. If you do not have a DUNS number, your case 

manager can help you with obtaining one. After receiving your number, 

follow the guidance listed in this document to register with SAM: 

www.sam.gov/sam/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_Contract_Registrations.pdf. 

USDA will need to verify your SAM registration before any payments can 

be processed. USDA deposits compensation funds directly into your bank 

account. You can expect to see the deposit approximately 2 to 3 weeks after 

you have given USDA the account information needed to process the payment. 

Compensation for Depopulation, Disposal, 

and Virus Elimination Activities 

Flock Plan 

You must have a flock plan to receive compensation for depopulation, disposal, 

or virus elimination activities. A flock plan is not required for indemnity 

payments for birds or eggs. Your case manager will help you develop your flock

plan, which is an agreement between APHIS, the State Animal Health Official, 

and you that: 

 describes the methods used for depopulation, disposal, and virus

elimination;

 documents your intention to eliminate HPAI from your premises and

maintain strong biosecurity measures to prevent transmission or future

introduction of the virus; and

 details regulatory requirements to release State and/or Federal

quarantine areas.

Depopulation and Disposal 

USDA covers the cost of depopulating and disposing of HPAI-affected flocks. 

In most cases, USDA or its contractors carry out these activities and pay the 

costs directly. If you choose to manage your own depopulation and disposal 

activities, USDA will reimburse you according to a financial plan, which you 

will develop with your case manager. This plan will detail the costs associated 

with the depopulation and disposal activities that are described in your flock 

plan and must be signed prior to payment being processed. USDA will

reimburse you for those activities at a rate equal to what would otherwise 

be paid to a contractor for the same work. USDA will only reimburse for

activities outlined in the flock plan. 

USDA also provides compensation for materials, such as tools or pallets-that 

must be disposed of because they cannot be safely or adequately cleaned. 

Your USDA case manager must review and approve in writing any items that

must be disposed of, prior to them being placed in a dumpster, in order for 

you to receive compensation for those items. 

 Type of flock (turkey, chicken,

layer, breeder, backyard, etc.)

 Age, sex, and number of each type

of bird

 Number of barns and number of

birds in each barn

 Bird mortality records over the last

2 weeks

 Eggs on hand/current egg

inventory (if applicable)

 Onset date of disease signs

(if present)

 Date of facility quarantine

 Reason for test (area surveillance,

pre-movement, National Poultry 

Improvement Plan, sick-bird call) 

 County where your farm is located

 Premises identification number,

or PIN (location of poultry, not

company home)

 Global positioning system

coordinates (latitude/longitude)

and 911 address for your farm

 Name of your facility/complex

 Claimant name and address

 Confirmation of mortgage status

 Appraisal date (date value is

assigned to the birds or eggs)

 Name of diagnostic lab testing

samples

You must have a biosecurity 

plan in place and a flock plan 

to receive compensation for 

depopulation, disposal, or 

virus elimination activities. 

INFORMATION NEEDED FOR 

APPRAISAL AND INDEMNITY

Below is a list of what’s needed for the 

appraisal and indemnity paperwork. Your 

case manager will help you gather this 

information and verify details with others, 

such as your flock veterinarian, if needed. 
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

APHIS 91-85-013

May 2017

Virus Elimination Activities 

Eliminating HPAI virus from affected premises is a crucial step toward resuming 

operations. USDA will make flat-rate compensation payments for virus 

elimination activities based on a flat per-bird rate, with separate rates for 

caged- versus floor-reared operations. You may choose the method of virus 

elimination that works best for you. The method chosen will not impact the 

amount of flat-rate compensation for the affected premises. 

If you decide to fallow your premises instead of completing virus elimination 

activities, you are not eligible for virus elimination payments. 

Activities included in the calculation of flat rates include barn preparation, a 

cleaning step, and a disinfection step. In developing the flat-rate payment 

structure, APHIS looked at existing data on these types of activities and 

calculated flat rates based on those that would be performed in a future 

outbreak. 

Direct and early payment of a standard amount for virus elimination will give 

you the resources to conduct these activities yourself or directly retain and 

oversee contractors to do the work. USDA will publish a list of acceptable 

contractors at the time of a future outbreak, but producers would not be 

limited to those. 

You can find more details about flat-rate payment for HPAI virus elimination in 

USDA’s “HPAI Virus Elimination: Flat Rate Payment.” To download this 

document, go to www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/aiupdates and click on 

“HPAI Virus Elimination: Flat Rate Payment” (in the top area of that page). 

For More Information 

More information about USDA’s HPAI response activities can be found on 

our Avian Influenza Web pages at www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/aiupdates. 

If you have any questions about the indemnity or compensation processes, talk 

with your case manager. 

Direct and early payment of a 

standard amount for virus 

elimination will give you the 

resources to conduct these 

activities yourself or directly 

retain and oversee contractors 

to do the work. 

HPAI INDEMNITY AND 

COMPENSATION RESOURCES 

● SAM Registration

www.sam.gov/sam/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_ 

Contract_Registrations.pdf 

● Flat-Rate Payment Details

www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_ 

dis_spec/poultry/downloads/hpai_flat_rate.pdf 

● HPAI Response Activities

www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/aiupdates 

● Biosecurity Self-Assessment Checklist

 www.uspoultry.org/animal_husbandry/intro.cfm