HHS Announces the Availability of $25.5 Billion in COVID-19 Provider Funding
The Biden-Harris Administration announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is distributing $25.5 billion in additional provider relief funds, via the $17 billion Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 General Distribution and the $8.5 billion ARP Rural Distribution.
The application will open on September 29, 2021. Providers will apply for both programs in a single application and HRSA will use existing Medicaid/CHIP and Medicare claims data in calculating portions of these payments.
To prepare to apply, review the eligibility information posted on the PRF Future Payments web page. Additional details will be added prior to September 29. Search the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer to see which areas qualify as "rural" for the ARP rural payments, and gather supporting documentation, such as recent tax documents and financial statements for the second half of calendar year (CY) 2020 and the first quarter of CY 2021. For more information visit https://www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief/future-payments.
NRHA welcomes this announcement and plans to continue to work with the Administration to ensure these funds are implemented in a manner that allows full engagement by rural providers. More details will be provided as we approach the application launch.
