PRB General Distribution and ARP Rural FAQ

To be eligible for a Phase 1 – General Distribution payment, providers must have billed Medicare fee-for-service (Parts A or B) in Calendar Year 2019. Additionally, under the Terms and Conditions associated with payment, these providers are eligible only if they provide or provided after January 31, 2020, diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19. HHS broadly views every patient as a possible case of COVID-19.

All providers retaining funds must sign an attestation and accept the Terms and Conditions associated with payment.

(Updated 6/12/2020)

The Terms and Conditions for payments received on or around April 24, 2020, as part of the additional $20 billion under Phase 1 of the General Distribution require that recipients submit their revenue information.  Based on HHS's records, due in some instances to system issues, the Department did not receive your required revenue information necessary for program integrity purposes and consideration for additional payments.  In order to be considered for an additional payment, recipients must submit this revenue information by September 13, 2020.  If a health care provider rejected the funds received on or around April 24 and does not want to keep any additional funds received as a result of submitting revenue, they may return a payment by going into the attestation portal within 90 days of receiving payment and indicating they are rejecting the funds.  Providers must return the payment within 15 calendar days of rejecting the payment.

(Added 9/3/2020)

No. You received an automated email sent by DocuSign to providers who initiate one or more entries that were not completed or submitted. A number of providers opened duplicate entries in the DocuSign web portal, resulting in one or more of the entries (referred to as "envelopes" by DocuSign) becoming "orphaned" and incomplete. The expiration status of one DocuSign entry does not affect any other submissions by that provider. If an application was completed and submitted, no further action is required on the healthcare provider's part.

(Updated 7/14/2020)

HHS is distributing an additional $20 billion of the General Distribution to providers to augment their initial allocation so that $50 billion is allocated proportional to providers' share of 2018 gross receipts or sales/program service revenue. Payments are determined based on the lesser of 2% of a provider's 2018 (or most recent complete tax year) gross receipts or the sum of incurred losses for March and April. If the initial General Distribution payment you received between April 10 and April 17 was determined to be at least 2% of your annual gross receipts or sales/program service revenue, you may not receive additional General Distribution payments. There may be additional distributions in the future for which providers are eligible.

(Updated 6/12/2020)

To be eligible for the General Distribution, a provider must have billed Medicare fee-for-service in CY2019.  Phase 1 – General Distribution payments were made to the billing organization according to its Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).  Payments to providers and practices that are part of larger medical groups went to the group's central billing office.

Some providers who did bill Medicare fee-for-service in CY2019 were not eligible for payment because either the provider is terminated from participation in Medicare or precluded from receiving payment through Medicare Advantage or Part D; is currently excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs; or currently has Medicare billing privileges revoked as determined by either the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or the HHS Office of Inspector General.

If the provider's TIN that was intended for payment identifies both a social security number of an individual Medicare provider and another Medicare provider's employer identification number, that TIN was excluded from the General Distribution.  Providers were also excluded from the General Distribution if there was incomplete banking information and/or personal contact information. HHS is working to determine eligibility for a General Distribution payment for those affected providers.

(Added 6/15/2020)

In general, providers can estimate payments from the Phase 1 – General Distribution of approximately 2% of 2018 (or most recent complete tax year) gross receipts or sales/program service revenue. To estimate your payment, use this equation:

(Individual Provider Revenues/$2.5 Trillion) X $50 Billion = Expected Combined General Distribution.
Providers should work with a tax professional for accurate submission.

This includes any payments under the first $30 billion General Distribution as well as under the $20 billion General Distribution allocations. Providers may not receive a second distribution payment if the provider received a first distribution payment of equal to or more than 2% of gross receipts.

(Updated 6/12/2020)

Generally no.  Only patient care revenues from providing diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19 may be included.  Patient care revenues do include savings obtained by providers through enrollment in the 340B Program.

(Updated 6/22/2020)

The Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal has been deployed to collect information from providers who received Phase 1 – General Distribution payments prior to April 24, 2020 at 5:00 pm EST.

The Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal collects four pieces of information to allocate remaining Phase 1 – General Distribution funds:

1. A provider's "Gross Receipts or Sales" or "Program Service Revenue" as submitted on its federal income tax return;
2. The provider's estimated revenue losses in March 2020 and April 2020 due to COVID;
3. A copy of the provider's most recently filed federal income tax return;
4. A listing of the TINs for any of the provider's subsidiary organizations that received relief funds but DO NOT file separate tax returns.

This information may also be used to allocate other Provider Relief Fund distributions.

HHS is collecting: the "gross receipt or sales" or "program service revenue" data to have an understanding of a provider's usual operations; the revenue loss information to have an understanding of COVID impact; and, tax forms to verify the self- reported information. HHS is collecting information about organizational structure and subsidiary TINs so that we do not overpay or underpay providers who file tax returns covering multiple legal entities (e.g. consolidated tax returns).

Providers meeting the following criteria are required to submit a separate portal application:

1. Provider has received Provider Relief Fund payments as of 5:00pm EST Friday April 24, 2020 AND
2. Provider has filed a federal income tax return for 2017, 2018, or 2019.

As such, each entity that files a federal income tax return is required to file an application even if it is part of a provider group. However, a group of corporations that files one consolidated return will have only the tax return filer apply.

Each provider submitting an application is required to list the TINs of each subsidiary that (a) has received Provider Relief Fund payments as of 5:00 EST Friday April 24, 2020 AND (b) has not filed federal income tax returns for 2017, 2018, or 2019.

Do not list any subsidiary's TIN that has filed a federal income tax return, because such subsidiary is required to submit a separate application.
For example:

1. A parent entity and two subsidiaries received Provider Relief Fund payments. The parent filed a federal income tax return, but the two subsidiaries did not as they are consolidated with the parent.

The parent should submit an application and list the subsidiary TINs therein. The subsidiaries cannot submit an application as they did not file a tax return.

2. A parent entity and two subsidiaries A and B received Provider Relief Fund payments. The parent and subsidiary A filed a federal income tax return, but the subsidiary B did not as it is consolidated with the parent.

The parent and subsidiary A should submit separate applications. The parent would list the TIN subsidiary B in its application.

(Added 4/25/2020)

HHS is using DocuSign to securely pass encrypted data to HHS. Neither DocuSign nor UnitedHealth Group will have access to your data.

(Added 4/25/2020)

DocuSign is securely passing your data to HHS in encrypted files. Neither DocuSign nor UnitedHealth Group will have access to your data.

(Added 4/25/2020)

UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiaries will not have access to any information collected from providers, nor do they participate in determining the methodology used to allocate Provider Relief Fund payments.  UnitedHealth Group will know the amounts of relief funding paid to providers, as UnitedHealth Group is processing the payments.

(Added 4/25/2020)

HHS will have access to your revenue data to optimally allocate Provider Relief Funds. HHS will not share your revenue data with any other entities, in or outside of government, except as prescribed by law.

(Added 4/25/2020)

To be eligible to apply, the applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Either
   1. Must have either (i) directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, or (ii) own (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has either directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019; or
   2. Must be a dental service provider who has either (i) directly billed health insurance companies for oral health care-related services, or (ii) owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed health insurance companies for oral health care-related services; or
   3. Must be a licensed dental service provider who does not accept insurance and has either (i) directly billed patients for oral health care-related services, or (ii) who owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that does not accept insurance and has directly billed patients for oral health care-related services;
   4. Must have billed Medicare fee-for-service during the period of January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019;
   5. Must be a Medicare Part A provider that experienced a change in ownership and billed Medicare fee-for-service in 2019 and 2020 that prevented the otherwise eligible provider from receiving a Phase 1 - General Distribution payment; or
   6. Must be an state-licensed/certified assisted living facility.
2. Must have either (i) filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2017, 2018 or 2019 or (ii) be an entity exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return. (e.g. a state-owned hospital or health care clinic); and
3. Must have provided patient care after January 31, 2020; and
4. Must not have permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries; and
5. If the applicant is an individual, have gross receipts or sales from providing patient care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, excluding income reported on a W-2 as a (statutory) employee.

Providers who have received a payment under Phase 1 of the General Distribution are no longer prohibited from submitting an application under Phase 2 of the General Distribution. Providers who received a previous Phase 1 – General Distribution payment are eligible to apply and, if they have not yet received a payment that is approximately 2% of annual revenue from patient care, may receive additional funds.

(Updated 9/1/2020)

The Phase 2 – General Distribution methodology will be based upon 2% of (revenues * percent of revenues from patient care) from the applicant's most recent federal income tax return for 2017, 2018 or 2019 and with accompanying submitted tax documentation. Payments will be made to applicant providers who are on the filing TIN curated list submitted by states to HHS or whose applications underwent additional validation by HHS.

(Updated 9/1/2020)

Many applicants that believe that their organization has not yet been paid under Phase 2 have received funds that can only be accessed after setting up an Automated Clearing House (ACH) account. Organizations with revenue greater than $5,000,000 are required to set up ACH accounts to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to most effectively and quickly deliver funds to providers, as well as maximize program integrity and fraud avoidance. For assistance in setting up an ACH account, please contact the Provider Support Line at 866-569-3522 (for TTY, dial 711).

Other applicants may have received Phase 2 funds in November or December that the applicant believes were part of Phase 3 of the General Distribution. Additionally, HHS has requested that a small number of applicants resubmit their application and financial information for data verification. In some instances, HHS has not received the requested resubmissions, and therefore, cannot adjudicate those applications.

(Added 1/15/2021)

In line with the policies established for the Phase 2 - General Distribution, HHS will be making payments to applicants based on filing TIN for all those who apply as part of this newer distribution.

(Added 8/10/2020)

At this time, HHS is only expanding eligibility to the Phase 2 - General Distribution to those health care providers that experienced a change in ownership that prevented them from receiving a Phase 1 - General Distribution payment. Providers that experienced a change in ownership may be eligible for future Targeted Distributions.

(Updated 12/4/2020)

You must meet the five eligibility requirement for the Phase 2 – General Distribution; must not be currently terminated from participation in Medicare or precluded from receiving payment through Medicare Advantage or Part D; must not be currently excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs; and must not currently have Medicare billing privileges revoked.  In addition, your billing TIN must be included in the State-provided list of eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers, the HHS-created list of dental providers, the list of providers who received a Phase 1 – General Distribution payment, the list of Medicare Part A providers that experienced a change in ownership in 2019 or 2020, or your application must pass additional validation by HHS.

(Updated 8/10/2020)

Yes. Payments received as part of the Phase 1 - General Distribution will be taken into account when determining payment amounts for the Phase 2 - General Distribution. If a health care provider has not yet received a payment that equals approximately 2% of revenue from patient care, it may now be eligible for a Phase 2 - General Distribution payment.

Additionally, prior payment in a Provider Relief Fund Targeted Distribution (like the High Impact Area, Rural, Indian Health Service, and Skilled Nursing Facility Targeted Distributions) does not affect eligibility for, or amount of, a possible payment.

(Updated 8/10/2020)

Payments will be disbursed on a rolling basis, as information is validated. HHS may seek additional information from providers as necessary to complete its review.

(Added 6/9/2020)

Payments will be made to applicant providers who are in the filing TIN curated list from CMS if they are a Medicaid or CHIP provider. If a TIN is not on the curated list of state-submitted eligible Medicaid/CHIP providers or T-MSIS, it will be flagged as invalid. In these cases, HHS will work with the states/territories to verify whether the TIN should be included as a valid Medicaid or CHIP provider in good standing.

If a TIN is not on the curated list of dental providers, HHS will conduct additional analysis related to the TIN and any active dental providers associated with the TIN.

If a TIN is not on a curated list of assisted living facilities, HHS will conduct additional analysis related to the TIN and any currently operating assisted living facilities associated with the TIN.

If the TIN is subsequently marked as valid, the provider will be notified to proceed submitting data into DocuSign even if validation occurs after the September 13, 2020 deadline. Applicants validated after that date will have until October 4, 2020, 11:00pm EST to submit an application to be considered for funding under Phase 2.  TINs that cannot be validated will not receive funding. Please note, the additional TIN validation may result in a delay in processing the application.

(Updated 10/1/2020)

The deadline to submit a TIN for validation for the Phase 2 – General Distribution is September 13, 2020. Applications must submitted by October 4, 2020, 11:00pm EST. Applications that are not completed by the October 4 deadline will be voided and applicants will have the opportunity to submit an application for Phase 3 by going back into the portal and clicking on "Get Started."

(Updated 10/1/2020)

Yes. A health care provider must submit their TIN for validation by end of day September 13, 2020. If they receive the results of that validation after September 13, they must submit an application by October 4, 2020, 11:00pm EST for consideration under Phase 2. Applications that are not completed by the October 4 deadline will be voided and applicants will have the opportunity to submit an application for Phase 3 by going back into the portal and clicking on "Get Started."

(Updated 10/1/2020)

If your TIN cannot be validated within 15 days of submission, you will receive an email 13 days after submission notifying you that additional verification is required by the State/Territory Medicaid or CHIP agency. If you do not receive an email, please contact the Provider Support Line at 866-569-3522 (for TTY, dial 711). Please note that it may take additional time to validate your TIN in these instances, particularly when close to deadlines. If you receive the results of that validation after September 13, you must submit an application by October 4, 2020, 11:00pm EST for consideration under Phase 2. Applications that are not completed by the October 4 deadline will be voided and you will have the opportunity to submit an application for Phase 3 by going back into the portal and clicking on "Get Started."

(Updated 10/1/2020)

If the parent organization does not have an NPI, the applicant should insert the subsidiary Group NPI that is best representative of the health care services delivered by the parent organization's subsidiaries. If the parent organization and its subsidiaries do not have an NPI, the applicant should enter "not applicable." The field cannot be left blank.

(Updated 9/4/2020)

The first Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal was used for providers who received a General Distribution payment prior to Friday, April 24th.  These providers were required to submit financial information in order to receive approximately 2% of revenues derived from patient care.

HHS has developed the new Provider Relief Fund Application and Attestation Portal for providers who bill Medicaid and CHIP (e.g., pediatricians, long-term care, and behavioral health providers) or are dental providers.  HHS has since expanded eligibility to other  providers, including those who may not have received additional funds as part of the Phase 1 – General Distribution.

(Updated 7/17/2020)

Applicants should enter the most recent revenues number from its federal tax return of 2017, 2018, or 2019. If the applicant for tax purposes is a:

• Sole proprietor or disregarded entity owned by an individual: Enter Line 3 from IRS Form 1040, Schedule C excluding any income reported on W-2.
• Partnership: Enter Line 1c minus Line 12 from IRS Form 1065.
• C corporation: Enter Line 1c minus Line 15 from IRS Form 1120.
• S corporation: Enter Line 1c minus Line 10 from IRS Form 1120-S.
• Tax-exempt organization: Enter Line 9 from IRS Form 990 minus any joint venture income, if included in Part VIII lines 2a – 2f.
• Trust or estate: Enter Line 3 from IRS Form 1040, Schedule C.
• Entity not required to file any of the previously mentioned IRS forms: Enter a "net patient service revenue" number or equivalent from the applicant's most recent audited financial statements (or management-prepared financial statements)
• Applicants with gross revenue adjustments should enter an adjusted gross revenues number as calculated using the Gross Revenues Worksheet in Field 15 available at: https://www.uhcprovider.com/content/dam/provider/docs/public/other/PRF-Gross-Revenues-Worksheet.xlsx (XLSX - 12 KB).

(Updated 7/17/2020)

HHS is working to process all providers' submissions as quickly as possible. HHS may seek additional information from providers as necessary to complete its review.

(Added 6/9/2020)

• The applicant's most recent federal income tax return for 2017, 2018 or 2019 or a written statement explaining why the applicant is exempt from filing a federal income tax return (e.g. a state-owned hospital or health care clinic).
• If required by Field 15, the applicant's Gross Revenue Worksheet (provided by HHS).

(Added 6/9/2020)

Phase 3 of the General Distribution will take into account documentation of financial impact of COVID-19, as reported by applicants. The payment methodology will ensure a provider has received 2% of annual revenue from patient care either as part of the previous phases of the General Distribution or under a Phase 3 payment. Phase 3 may also take into account a provider's change in operating revenues from patient care, minus their operating expenses from patient care. Phase 3 payment will also take into account funds received and kept under prior General and Targeted Distributions. While HHS has made payments on a rolling basis under the previous general distributions, Phase 3 final payment amounts for applicants who have already received payments equaling 2% of annual patient care revenue will be determined once all applications have been received and reviewed.

(Updated 10/8/2020)

To be eligible to apply, the applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Either
   1. Must have either (i) directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020, or (ii) own (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has either directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020; or
   2. Must be a dental service provider who, as of March 31, 2020, has either (i) directly billed health insurance companies for oral health care-related services, or (ii) owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed health insurance companies for oral health care-related services; or
   3. Must be a licensed dental service provider who does not accept insurance and has, as of March 31, 2020, either (i) directly billed patients for oral health care-related services, or (ii) who owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that does not accept insurance and has directly billed patients for oral health care-related services;
   4. Must have billed Medicare fee-for-service during the period of January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020;
   5. Must be a Medicare Part A provider that experienced a change in ownership that was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services by August 10, 2020 and billed Medicare fee-for-service during the period of January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020;
   6. Must be a state-licensed/certified assisted living facility as of March 31, 2020;
   7. Must be a behavioral health provider who, as of March 31, 2020, has either (i) directly billed health insurance companies for health care-related services, or (ii) owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed health insurance companies for health care-related services; or
   8. Must be a behavioral health provider who does not accept insurance and has, as of March 31, 2020, either (i) directly billed patients for health care-related services, or (ii) who owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that does not accept insurance and has directly billed patients for health care-related services; or
   9. Must have received a Targeted Distribution payment.
2. Must have either (i) filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2017, 2018 or 2019 if in operation before January 1, 2020 or quarterly tax returns for fiscal years 2020 if operations began on or after January 1, 2020 or (ii) be an entity exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return. (e.g. a state-owned hospital or health care clinic); and
3. Must have provided patient care after January 31, 2020; and
4. Must not have permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries; and
5. If the applicant is an individual that was providing patient care have gross receipts or sales from providing patient care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, excluding income reported on a W-2 as a (statutory) employee.

Providers who have previously received a payment under Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the General Distribution are eligible to apply for a payment even if they have previously received a disbursement of 2% of annual revenue from patient care. Providers who have not previously received a General Distribution payment, or an amount that is less than 2% of patient care revenue, may also apply for funds if they meet the above eligibility criteria.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Providers will be paid the greater of up to 88 percent of their reported losses (both lost revenue and health care-related expenses attributable to coronavirus incurred during the first half of 2020) or 2 percent of annual revenue from patient care.  Some applicants will not receive an additional payment, either because they experienced no change in revenues or net expenses attributable to COVID-19, or because they have already received funds that equal or exceed reimbursement of 88 percent of reported losses or 2 percent of revenue from patient care.

Certain applicants may not receive these full amounts because HHS determined the revenues and operating expenses from patient care reported on their applications included figures that were not exclusively from patient care (as defined in the instructions), reported figures were not reflected in submitted financial documentation, or reported figures were extreme outliers in comparison to other applicants of the same provider type; instead, HHS capped the amount paid to these provider types based on industry estimates of revenue and operating expenses from patient care.

(Updated 1/28/2021)

If an applicant has not yet received and kept a payment that is approximately 2 percent of annual revenue from patient care as part of either Phase 1 or 2 of the General Distribution, then they will receive at least that amount in Phase 3 payment.  In addition to this amount, providers will be paid up to 88 percent of their reported losses (both lost revenue and health care-related expenses attributable to coronavirus incurred during the first half of 2020) if losses exceeded 2 percent of annual revenue from patient care.  Some applicants may not receive this proportion of the losses reported on their applications, because HHS determined the reported revenues and operating expenses from patient care were not exclusively from patient care (as defined in the instructions) or because reported figures were not reflected in submitted financial documentation.  Additionally, some applicants will not receive an additional payment either because they experienced no change in revenues or net expenses attributable to COVID-19, or because they have already received funds that equal or exceed reimbursement of 88 percent of reported losses.

(Updated 1/28/2021)

HHS began issuing Phase 3 – General Distribution payments in mid-December, 2020, and will continue making payments through the first months of 2021 to those providers that experienced a change in revenues or net expenses attributable to COVID-19 and that have not already received funds that equal or exceed reimbursement of 88 percent of reported losses, as well as to those that have not yet received and kept a payment that is approximately 2% of annual revenue from patient care as part of either Phase 1 or 2 of the General Distribution.  HHS is continuing to review and validate applications received and will disperse payments in batches as applications are adjudicated.

(Updated 1/12/2021)

No. The Terms and Conditions require payment recipients to certify that funds will only be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, and will only reimburse the recipient for health care-related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus. While HHS collected information on the losses and expenses associated with the first two quarters of 2020 for the purposes of making additional General Distribution payments to those providers with demonstrated financial need, the Terms and Conditions do not place limits on which quarters these funds must be applied to cover eligible losses or expenses.

(Updated 6/11/2021)

HHS will calculate the percentage of change in operating revenues from patient care minus operating expenses from patient care for providers that began operations partway through 2019 or in 2020, and, therefore, do not have data from all of the requested quarters, based on the applicant's financial information that is available and data from the same type of provider as the applicant. Providers that began operation in 2020 will be paid approximately 2% of patient care revenue based on the applicant's reported financial information for those months in 2020 that they were operation.

(Updated 10/5/2020)

Providers that are newly eligible should submit their TIN for validation as soon as practical in order to ensure that they can submit an application before the deadline. HHS has not yet determined whether there will be additional General Distribution phases. Providers should not have the expectation that they will be advantaged by applying for funds from one distribution over another. Providers should apply for a Provider Relief Fund payment in the first distribution in which they are eligible.

(Added 10/5/2020)

You must meet the five eligibility requirements for the Phase 3 – General Distribution; must not be currently terminated from participation in Medicare or precluded from receiving payment through Medicare Advantage or Part D; must not be currently excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs; and must not currently have Medicare billing privileges revoked. In addition, your billing TIN must be included in the State-provided list of eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers, the HHS-created list of dental providers, the list of providers who received a General or Targeted Distribution payment, the list of Medicare Part A providers that experienced a change in ownership in 2019 or 2020, or your application must pass additional validation by HHS. If you received payment under previous Targeted Distributions, these funds may be factored into whether you will receive any further payments under Phase 3.

(Updated 10/8/2020)

If the applicant is a parent entity applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries and it would like each subsidiary to receive its own payment, the applicant should create a One Healthcare ID account and submit an application for each TIN that should receive its own payment. The applicant should include the unique banking information for each subsidiary's application.

If the applicant is a parent entity applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries and it would like a single payment for all of the included subsidiaries, the applicant should create a single One Healthcare ID account for the parent entity and submit a single application with the filing TIN.

The parent entity should add its TIN as the "Organizational TIN" on their dashboard. If applying on behalf of subsidiaries, the parent entity will have the opportunity to enter multiple subsidiary TINs associated with the parent organization TIN. After adding the "Organizational TIN," the applicant should click "Get Started" once they arrive on the "Practice Detail" page, under the "Group/Individual Information" heading. The applicant can enter up to 1,200 subsidiary TINs into the "List of Subsidiary TINs Associated with This Entity" field. The applicant may paste a list of TINs directly into this field. Next, the applicant should review their information and click "Submit TIN." Once the organization or subsidiary TINs are verified, the applicant will progress to the DocuSign form, where they can submit the applicable tax information that accounts for each TIN included in the application.

(Updated 2/19/2021)

Yes. The health care provider is eligible to apply for a Phase 3 – General Distribution payment if it otherwise meets the eligibility criteria.

(Added 10/5/2020)

The Medicaid provider/management company must apply, because neither the property owner nor its parent company is an eligible healthcare provider. The Medicaid provider/management company must use the funds for eligible healthcare related expenses or lost revenues attributable to coronavirus. However, the Medicaid provider/management company could, for example, purchase PPE from the property owner or its parent company.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes. If the health care provider otherwise meets the criteria for eligibility, receipt of funds from SBA and FEMA for coronavirus recovery or of Medicaid Home-and Community-Based Services (HCBS) retainer payments, does not preclude a health care provider from being eligible for Phase 3 – General Distribution; however, the health care provider must substantiate that the Provider Relief Fund payments were used for health care related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19, and those expenses or lost revenue were not reimbursed from other sources or other sources were not obligated to reimburse.

(Updated 3/31/2021)

While the self-directed providers are eligible to receive Provider Relief Fund money, payments from the Provider Relief Fund will be made to the filing TIN entity. If the FMS organization is the filing TIN entity, it will need to apply on behalf of the self-directed providers and distribute the funds as appropriate to the providers. If self-directed providers were included in the provider files submitted by CMS from states or are included T-MSIS files, they might be eligible to apply directly for payment. Where a FMS organization receives the Provider Relief Fund payment, it has discretion in allocating the Provider Relief Fund payments among self-directed providers, to support the providers' health care related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19, so long as the payment is used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus and those expenses or lost revenue are not reimbursed from other sources or other sources were not obligated to reimburse them.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes. Health care providers that bill for services in Medicaid or CHIP that are covered under either a waiver or state plan, including disability service providers and other providers of Medicaid-funded HCBS (e.g., day habilitation, HCBS waiver program services), are eligible for the Phase 3 – General Distribution if they otherwise meet the eligibility criteria.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes. Health care providers that bill either fee-for-service or managed care in Medicaid or CHIP are eligible for the Phase 3 – General Distribution if they otherwise meet the other eligibility criteria.

(Added 10/5/2020)

These payment mechanisms do not impact eligibility for the Provider Relief Fund. Phase 3 – General Distribution payments will be paid to the filing TIN entity based on the entity's percentage of total revenue from patient care and change in operating revenues from patient care, minus their operating expenses from patient care.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Phase 3 – General Distribution payments will be made to the filing TIN entities. If the OHCDS is the filing TIN entity, the payment will go to that entity, who has the sole discretion about how funds are distributed. The Provider Relief Fund payment recipient has discretion in allocating the Provider Relief funds to support its subsidiaries' health care related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19, so long as the payment is used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus and those expenses or lost revenue are not reimbursed from other sources or other sources were not obligated to reimburse.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes. Health care providers that bill for Medicaid or CHIP services through a county behavioral health provider network are eligible for the Phase 3 – General Distribution if they otherwise meet the other eligibility criteria.

(Added 10/5/2020)

The deadline to start an application by submitting a TIN for validation under Phase 3 – General Distribution is November 6, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST. If the TIN validation is initialized by November 13, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST, the entity will have until November 27, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST to submit an application.

(Updated 11/12/2020)

Providers that have received General Distribution payments under Phases 1 and/or 2 will not undergo any further validation. Providers that are newly eligible under Phase 3 will be subject to TIN validation processes similar to those employed under Phase 2.

(Added 10/5/2020)

If a TIN is not on the curated list of eligible providers, HHS will conduct additional analysis related to the TIN and any active providers associated with the TIN. If the TIN is subsequently marked as valid, the provider will be notified to proceed submitting data into DocuSign. TINs that cannot be validated will not receive funding.

(Added 10/5/2020)

HHS is validating provider eligibility for General Distribution funds by using curated lists generated by state/territory Medicaid and CHIP agencies and third parties for those provider types that do not participate in Medicaid and CHIP. In most instances, HHS will respond within 15 business days; however, this process may take up to several weeks.

(Added 10/5/2020)

No. Any revenue or expenses related to the sale of medical supplies, including durable medical equipment and prescription glasses and contacts, may not be included as part of revenue or expenses from patient care. Only patient care revenues from providing health care, services, and supports, as provided in a medical setting, at home, or in the community may be included.

(Added 10/28/2020)

No. The associated revenues and expenses that are associated with joint ventures with other health care entities should not be included in the hospital or health care system's application for Phase 3 funds.

(Added 10/28/2020)

Yes. Applicant may include costs that support the delivery of care, such as the health care providers' information technology, finance, and human resources costs, as part of "operating expenses from patient care" when applying for Phase 3 General Distribution payments.

(Added 10/28/2020)

Yes. Applicants must submit the most recently filed tax return along with their application for Phase 3 General Distribution payments. If an applicant has applied for funds in previous General Distributions and filed taxes in the interim, it must use its most recent tax return; the applicant is not required to submit the same return included with previous General Distribution applications.

(Added 10/28/2020)

Yes. Similar to the Phase 2 General Distribution application, in cases where a parent files a group tax return for itself and all/or some of its subsidiaries, the parent entity should submit the group tax return that includes all subsidiaries on behalf of which the parent entity is applying.

(Added 10/28/2020)

The parent entity that is applying on behalf of itself and multiple subsidiaries should break out by TIN revenues and operating expenses for patient and non-patient care when applying for Phase 3 funds on behalf of multiple subsidiaries. The applying entity should ensure that these figures reconcile to ones provided on the submitted tax return.

(Added 10/28/2020)

Yes. The parent entity that is applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries may submit the same required financial documentation as part of multiple applications if the documentation includes the requested financial information for each of the subsidiaries.  The parent entity that is applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries should include a break-out by TIN of the revenues and operating expenses for patient and non-patient care for each of the TINs included in the filed tax return that reconciles to the figures on the return.

(Added 10/28/2020)

Intercompany rent should be included when reporting "operating expenses from patient care" as well as "operating revenue from patient care."

(Added 10/28/2020)

HHS considers "operating revenues from patient care" to be net patient service revenue from the delivery of health care services directly to patients. "Net patient service revenue" is defined as gross charges for patient services delivered, minus contractual adjustments from all third party payors, charity care adjustments, bad debt, and any other discounts or adjustments necessary to arrive at net patient service revenue. For the definition of "revenue" for purposes of reporting and use of funds, please refer to the reporting requirements available at https://www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief/reporting-auditing.

(Updated 10/28/2020)

HHS considers "operating expenses from patient care" to be the operating expenses incurred as part of the delivery of care, including salaries, benefits, medical supplies, contracted and/or employed physicians, interest, and depreciations. Operating expenses from patient care do not include any non-operating expenses, such as costs incurred on any rental property that is not the site of patient care delivery, as well as contributions made, gains, and/or losses on investments. For the definition of "expenses" for purposes of reporting and use of funds, please refer to the reporting requirements available at https://www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief/reporting-auditing.

(Updated 10/28/2020)

Generally no, prescriptions sale revenue may not be captured as part of revenue from patient care. Only patient care revenues from providing health care, services, and supports, as provided in a medical setting, at home, or in the community may be included. Patient care revenues do include savings obtained by providers through enrollment in the 340B Program.

(Added 10/15/2020)

Providers that submitted a TIN for validation as part of Phase 2 but had their TIN validated on or after October 5, will fill out a Phase 3 application and be considered for additional payment based on Phase 3 payment methodology in addition to approximately 2% of annual revenue from patient care.

(Added 10/5/2020)

In order for HHS to make payments as part of Phase 3, the Department needs the most recent financial information available.

(Added 10/5/2020)

The portal currently will say "Get Started" until a final determination has been made on provider payment. If and when a payment has been made, you will be able to move on in the portal to attest to the payment.

(Added 10/5/2020)

You can only submit one application. You can edit the data on the application form, until the form is submitted. You cannot edit or resubmit the application form once it is submitted. You should not apply until you have available all of the required information and documentation necessary to submit a complete and accurate application.

(Added 10/5/2020)

If an organization does not have tax filings, nor audited financial statements, it may submit internally-generated financial statements; in the case of entities receiving Federal grants, the most recent four quarters of SF-425 forms; or for eligible federal entities, the most recent annual report submitted to Unified Financial Management System (UFMS).

(Added 10/5/2020)

Upload a statement explaining why the entity is not required to file a federal tax form (note that non-profit entities should submit a Form 990) or is unable to provide the required information. In addition, provide the most recent audited financial statements (or management prepared financial statements) for the TIN entity. If the financial information of a TIN entity is reported as part of a parent organization, it may be necessary to provide consolidating audited financial statements that breakout the revenue and expenses for the TIN entity.

(Added 10/5/2020)

The health care provider should use the status that was included in the most recent tax filing when applying for Provider Relief Fund payments. For example, if a practice was a C corporation in 2019 and is an S corporation in 2020, it should apply as a C corporation if the provider's most recent tax filing is from 2019.

(Added 10/5/2020)

No. The applicant may only include patient care revenue in its application for Provider Relief Fund payments, which is found in line 9 of Form 990 for tax-exempt organizations.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes, in order to most effectively and quickly deliver funds to providers, HHS recommends that applicants sign up for an ACH account at the same time they submit a Provider Relief Fund application. This will prevent delays in issuing payment once an application has been approved.

(Added 10/5/2020)

ACH payments are a secure and expeditious way to transfer money. The majority of payments will be made through bank transfer. Organizations with revenue greater than $5,000,000 will be required to set up ACH accounts to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to most effectively and quickly deliver funds to providers, as well as maximize program integrity and fraud avoidance.

(Added 10/5/2020)

If you are a provider that is not required to be licensed by your state but otherwise meets the eligibility criteria for the second phase of the General Distribution, you should enter "not applicable" in the field. The field cannot be left blank.

(Added 10/5/2020)

In general, if the individual is being paid through an FMS organization, the organization is likely the filing and billing TIN and would be eligible to apply for the Phase 3 – General Distribution. In that situation, the self-directed provider should contact the FMS organization to confirm that the organization is submitting an application on their behalf or whether the provider should submit an application as an individual self-directed provider.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes. The FMS organization can include both TINs and associated revenues in their application for the Phase 3 – General Distribution, as long as the services delivered under both TINs qualify as "patient care" and the entity can meet the attestation requirements for both TINs.

(Added 10/5/2020)

Yes. Applicants may include administrative fees provided by the state Medicaid program in the reported revenue, as well as in the percentage of revenue from patient care reported in field 12.

(Added 10/5/2020)

To be eligible to apply, the applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Must fall into one of the following categories:
   1. Must have either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, their state/territory Medicaid program (fee-for service or managed care) or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020; or
   2. Must be a dental service provider who has either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, health insurance companies or patients for oral health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020;
   3. Must have either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, Medicare fee-for-service (Parts A and/or B) or Medicare Advantage (Part C) for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020;
   4. Must be a state-licensed/certified assisted living facility on or before December 31, 2020;
   5. Must be a behavioral health provider who has either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, health insurance companies or patients for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020;
   6. Must have received a prior Targeted Distribution payment.
2. Must have either (i) filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2018, 2019, or 2020, or (ii) be an entity exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return (e.g. a state-owned hospital or health care clinic); and
3. Must have provided patient care after January 31, 2020; and
4. Must not have permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries; and
5. If the applicant is an individual that was providing patient care, have gross receipts or sales from providing patient care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, excluding income reported on a W-2 as a (statutory) employee.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Assisted living facilities (ALFs) and behavioral health providers that do not participate in Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have the opportunity to submit additional documentation in order to be considered for Phase 4 funding. Only ALFs and behavioral health providers that successfully submitted a DocuSign application during the Phase 4 application cycle are eligible for this opportunity. Affected ALFs and behavioral health providers received a notice directing them to submit their state/territorial license or nationally-recognized certification (if operating in a state that does not license their profession or facility) via the supplemental documentation form. ALFs and behavioral health providers have until May 9, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EST to submit this documentation in order to be considered for payment from this distribution.

Please note that this opportunity is limited to Phase 4 funding; HRSA will not reevaluate eligibility for ARP Rural payments.

(Added 4/26/2022)

HRSA will deduct from the Phase 4 Base Payment any prior Provider Relief Fund payments received by the applicant and any of its subsidiaries/billing TINs included in its Phase 4/ARP Rural application, which were not previously deducted from the Phase 3 General Distribution payment. The Phase 4 deductions include any prior Provider Relief Fund payments that exceeded 2% of annual patient care revenue or 88% of changes in operating revenues and expenses for the first half of calendar year 2020. For example, if an entity applied to Phase 3 after receiving $100,000 in prior Provider Relief Fund payments, including a General Distribution payment that was equal to 2% of annual patient care revenue, and reported a change in operating revenues and expenses in the first half of 2020 that equaled $75,000, then the entity did not receive a Phase 3 payment. In Phase 4, the remaining $25,000 that was not yet deducted will be taken into account when calculating the Phase 4 Base Payment amount. 

(Added 10/26/2021)

Applicants must include all billing TINs under the filing TIN that provide patient care to ensure that applicants receive the maximum payment amount for which they are eligible. Applicants must include an exhaustive list of TINs and must ensure that all TINs included in the application belong to the filing TIN that is applying. HRSA will calculate the ARP Rural and a portion of Phase 4 payments based on the submitted billing TINs, as well as assess eligibility for ARP Rural payments for each of the included billing TINs.

(Added 10/26/2021)

HRSA will use the applicant’s adjusted gross revenue to categorize providers' size. Please note that providers must apply at the filing TIN level and include all subsidiary billing TINs.

(Added 10/20/2021)

HRSA will make $12.75 billon (75% of $17 billion) in payments based on changes in operating revenue and expenses and $4.25 billion (25% of $17 billion) in bonus payments.

(Added 10/20/2021)

No. Providers may use these payments to cover eligible health care-related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus incurred between January 1, 2020 and the end of applicable period of availability. Providers have at least 12 months, and as much as 18 months, based on the payment received date, to control and use the payments for expenses and lost revenues attributable to coronavirus incurred during the Period of Availability. For more information, please refer to the Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements (PDF - 232 KB).

(Added 9/29/2021)

You must meet all of the five eligibility requirements for the Phase 4 – General Distribution, which include

1. Falling into one of the following categories:
   1. Must have either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, their state/territory Medicaid program (fee-for service or managed care) or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020;
   2. Must be a dental service provider who has either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, health insurance companies or patients for oral health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020;
   3. Must have either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, Medicare fee-for-service (Parts A and/or B) or Medicare Advantage (Part C) for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020;
   4. Must be a state-licensed/certified assisted living facility on or before December 31, 2020;
   5. Must be a behavioral health provider who has either directly billed, or owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed, health insurance companies or patients for health care-related services during the period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020; or
   6. Must have received a prior Targeted Distribution payment.
2. Having either (i) filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2018, 2019, or 2020, or (ii) be an entity exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return (e.g. a state-owned hospital or health care clinic); and
3. Having provided patient care after January 31, 2020; and
4. Having not permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries; and
5. If the applicant is an individual that was providing patient care, having gross receipts or sales from providing patient care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, excluding income reported on a W-2 as a (statutory) employee.

You also:

• Must not be currently terminated from participation in Medicare or precluded from receiving payment through Medicare Advantage or Part D;
• Must not be currently excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs;
• Must not currently have Medicare billing privileges revoked; and
• Must be in compliance with the Terms and Conditions for any previously received Provider Relief Fund payments.

In addition, your billing or filing TIN must be included in the list of providers that HRSA has determined to be eligible or your application must pass additional validation by HRSA. Some providers may be eligible for a payment but the payment calculation will be $0 due to risk mitigation and cost containment safeguards.

(Updated 6/30/2022)

The parent entity should add its TIN as the “Organizational TIN” on their dashboard. If applying on behalf of subsidiaries, the parent entity will have the opportunity to enter multiple subsidiary TINs associated with the parent organization TIN. After adding the “Organizational TIN,” the applicant should click “Get Started” once they arrive on the “Practice Detail” page, under the “Group/Individual Information” heading. The applicant can enter up to 1,200 subsidiary TINs into the “List of Subsidiary TINs Associated with This Entity” field. The applicant may paste a list of TINs directly into this field. Next, the applicant should review their information and click “Submit TIN.” Once the organization or subsidiary TINs are verified, the applicant will progress to the DocuSign form, where they can submit the applicable tax information that accounts for each TIN included in the application.

Multiple payments: If the applicant is a parent entity applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries and it would like each subsidiary to receive its own payment, the applicant should create a One Healthcare ID account and submit an application for each TIN that should receive its own payment. The applicant should include the unique banking information for each subsidiary’s application.

Single payment: If the applicant is a parent entity applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries and it would like a single payment for all of the included subsidiaries, the applicant should create a single One Healthcare ID account for the parent entity and submit a single application with the filing TIN.

(Added 9/29/2021)

The Medicaid provider/management company must apply, because neither the property owner nor its parent company is an eligible health care provider. The Medicaid provider/management company must use the funds for eligible health care-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to coronavirus. However, the Medicaid provider/management company could, for example, purchase PPE from the property owner or its parent company.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. If the health care provider otherwise meets the criteria for eligibility, receipt of funds from SBA and FEMA for coronavirus recovery or of Medicaid HCBS retainer payments, does not preclude a health care provider from being eligible for Phase 4 – General Distribution; however, at the time of post-payment reporting, the health care provider must substantiate that the Provider Relief Fund payments were used for health care related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19, and those expenses or lost revenue were not reimbursed from other sources or other sources were not obligated to reimburse.

(Added 9/29/2021)

While the self-directed providers are eligible to receive Provider Relief Fund money, payments from the Provider Relief Fund will be made to the filing TIN entity. If the FMS organization is the filing TIN entity, it will need to apply on behalf of the self-directed providers and distribute the funds as appropriate to the providers. If self-directed providers were included in the provider files submitted by CMS from states or are included in T-MSIS files, they might be eligible to apply directly for payment. Where a FMS organization receives the Provider Relief Fund payment, it has discretion in allocating the Provider Relief Fund payments among self-directed providers, to support the providers’ health care-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to coronavirus, so long as the payment is used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus and those expenses or lost revenue are not reimbursed from other sources or other sources were not obligated to reimburse them.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. Health care providers that bill for services in Medicaid or CHIP that are covered under either a waiver or state plan, including disability service providers and other providers of Medicaid-funded Home- and Community-based Services (HCBS) (e.g., day habilitation, HCBS waiver program services), are eligible for the Phase 4 – General Distribution if they otherwise meet the eligibility criteria. Health care providers that bill Medicaid or CHIP through a managed care arrangement or county behavioral health provider network are also eligible for Phase 4.

(Added 9/29/2021)

These payment mechanisms do not impact eligibility for the Provider Relief Fund. Phase 4 – General Distribution payments will be paid to the filing TIN entity based on the entity’s percentage of total revenue from patient care and change in operating revenues from patient care, minus their operating expenses from patient care.

(Added 9/29/2021)

In general, if the individual is being paid through an FMS organization, the organization is likely the filing and billing TIN and would be eligible to apply for the Phase 4 – General Distribution. In that situation, the self-directed provider should contact the FMS organization to confirm that the organization is submitting an application on their behalf or whether the provider should submit an application as an individual self-directed provider.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Phase 4 – General Distribution payments will be made to the filing TIN entities. If the OHCDS is the filing TIN entity, the payment will go to that entity, who has the sole discretion about how funds are distributed. The Provider Relief Fund payment recipient has discretion in allocating the Provider Relief funds to support its subsidiaries’ health care related expenses or lost revenue attributable to coronavirus, so long as the payment is used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus and those expenses or lost revenue are not reimbursed from other sources or other sources were not obligated to reimburse.

(Added 9/29/2021)

No. Providers do not need to exclude prior cost report settlements when reporting patient care revenue in the Phase 4 application. Providers may use actual settlements received or their historical information to estimate the amount of cost report settlement, in line with their internal processes and procedures. 

(Added 10/26/2021)

HRSA will employ several pre-payment risk mitigation and cost containment safeguards to ensure that application information is accurate and that HRSA is making payments equitably, including adjusting payments based on self-selected provider type, as described in the payment methodologies. HRSA will determine provider type adjustments after all applications are received. Please note, if an application is flagged, HRSA will conduct a review of the associated supporting documentation. Depending on the results of the review of the documentation, the potential payment for the application may be adjusted based on provider type-based adjustments.

(Added 10/26/2021)

No. You can only submit one application for consideration. 

(Added 10/26/2021)

In accordance with the statutory requirements, to be eligible to apply for ARP Rural Payments, the applicant or at least one subsidiary TINs must be:

1. A rural health clinic as defined in section 1861(aa)(2) of the Social Security Act; or
2. A provider treated as located in a rural area pursuant to section 1886(d)(8)(E), such as critical access hospitals; or
3. A provider or supplier that:
   1. Has directly billed for health care-related services between January 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020:
      1. Medicare fee-for-service (Parts A and/or B);
      2. Medicare Advantage (Part C)
      3. Their state/territory Medicaid program (fee-for service or managed care); or
      4. Their state/territory Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and
   2. Operates in or serves patients living in the HHS Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s (FORHP) definition of a rural area:
      1. All non-Metro counties;
      2. All Census Tracts within a Metropolitan county that have a Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) code of 4-10. The RUCA codes allow the identification of rural Census Tracts in Metropolitan counties;
      3. 132 large area census tracts with RUCA codes 2 or 3. These tracts are at least 400 square miles in area with a population density of no more than 35 people per square mile; and
      4. 295 outlying Metropolitan counties with no Urbanized Area population.

(Added 9/29/2021)

HRSA will calculate payments based on the paid claims submitted between January 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020 for all eligible providers. HRSA will not adjust or annualize payments to providers that began operations in 2019 or 2020.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. To ensure the funds reach providers serving rural communities, control and use of the ARP Rural payment must be delegated to the entity that was eligible for and received the Payment. Unlike Phase 4 of the Provider Relief Fund, ARP Rural payment recipients must certify that they will allocate the ARP Rural payment to the provider(s) associated with the applicable subsidiary or billing TIN.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. Health care providers that bill for services in Medicaid or CHIP that are covered under either a waiver or state plan, including disability service providers and other providers of Medicaid-funded Home- and Community-based Services (HCBS) (e.g., day habilitation, HCBS waiver program services), are eligible for the ARP Rural Payments if they otherwise meet the eligibility criteria. Health care providers that bill Medicaid or CHIP through a managed care arrangement or county behavioral health provider network are also eligible for these payments if they meet the eligibility criteria.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. HRSA will use the most current definition of “rural” to calculate ARP Rural payments. The HHS Federal Office of Rural Health Policy recently expanded the definition of “rural.” For more information, please visit Defining Rural Population.

(Added 9/29/2021)

We encourage all applicants to begin their applications as soon as possible. All applicants must complete the first step of the application process no later than October 26, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST. This first step involved submitting a TIN for validation and may take a few days. If an applicant (1) submits their TIN for validation by the October 26, 2021 deadline and (2) that TIN is subsequently validated by the IRS, the applicant will have until November 3, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST to complete and submit their application.

(Updated 10/26/2021)

HRSA employs pre-payment risk mitigation strategies, including TIN validation, in order to protect program integrity. TIN validation is a process to ensure applicants are known businesses and are eligible for funds. HRSA requires all applicants to undergo validation with the Internal Revenue Service. Providers that have never received funds under a General or Targeted Distribution will also be subject to TIN validation processes similar to those employed under Phases 2 and 3 to ensure that they are eligible for funds, while those providers that have previously received General Distribution payments will not undergo further validation. If a provider is not on the existing list of validated providers, HRSA sends the provider’s application and subsidiary TINs to state/territorial Medicaid/CHIP agencies and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in attempt to validate the provider. However, the validation process will take place after the application has been submitted in Phase 4 and ARP Rural.

(Added 9/29/2021)

In order to protect program integrity and preserve taxpayer dollars, HRSA requires all applicants to undergo validation with the Internal Revenue Service, similar to previous phases, before they can submit an application. Providers that have received General Distribution payments under Phases 1, 2, or 3 will not undergo any further validation by HRSA.

(Added 9/29/2021)

If a TIN is not on the validated list of eligible providers known to HRSA, HRSA will conduct additional analyses related to the TIN and any active providers associated with the TIN. Providers will be able to submit an application while their TIN is under review. TINs that cannot be validated will not receive funding.

(Added 9/29/2021)

This means that HRSA will conduct additional validation to ensure provider eligibility with the assistance of state/territory Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies and third parties for those provider types that are eligible but do not participate in Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP. Providers will be able to submit an application while their TIN is under review. TINs that cannot be validated will not receive funding.

(Added 9/29/2021)

HRSA will send emails throughout the process as you complete different steps. You will receive an email after Internal Revenue Service validation, successful submission of an application, and application adjudication. Applicants not known to HRSA that require further validation will receive an additional email notifying them that they are invited to submit an application. These providers will be able to submit an application while their TIN is under review. TINs that cannot be validated will not receive funding.

(Added 9/29/2021)

In order for HRSA to make payments as part of Phase 4, HRSA needs the most recent financial information available, including the most recent tax filings or audited financial statements.

(Added 9/29/2021)

No, prescription drug sales revenue may not be captured as part of revenue from patient care. Patient care revenues may properly include savings obtained by providers through enrollment in the 340B Program. However, only patient care revenues from providing health care, services, and supports, as provided in a medical setting, at home, or in the community may be included.

(Modified 10/26/2021)

No. Any revenue or expenses related to the sale of medical supplies, including durable medical equipment and prescription glasses and contacts, may not be included as part of revenue or expenses from patient care. Only patient care revenues from providing health care, services, and supports, as provided in a medical setting, at home, or in the community may be included.

(Added 9/29/2021)

For the TIN validation step, you cannot edit the data submitted after you submit this information for IRS validation.

For the Tax and Financial Information submission step in DocuSign, you can resubmit the entire application. That means, if you wish to edit the information in DocuSign, you must re-enter all the financial information and re-upload your supporting documentation. If you submit multiple applications, HRSA will review the last application submitted before the deadline.

To avoid potential mistakes, HRSA strongly encourages applicants to verify that all information is correct before submitting.

(Updated 10/26/2021)

No. You can only submit one application.

(Added 9/29/2021)

If you are a provider that is not required to be licensed by your state but otherwise meets the eligibility criteria for the second phase of the General Distribution, you should enter “not applicable” in the field. The field cannot be left blank.

(Added 9/29/2021)

The health care provider should use the status that was included in the most recent tax filing when applying for Provider Relief Fund payments. For example, if a practice was a C corporation in 2020 and is an S corporation in 2021, it should apply as a C corporation if the provider’s most recent tax filing is from 2020.

(Added 9/29/2021)

No. The applicant may only include patient care revenue in its application for Provider Relief Fund payments, which is found in line 9 of Form 990 for tax-exempt organizations.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. Organizations that receive payments greater than $100,000 will be required to set up ACH accounts. In order to most effectively and quickly deliver funds to providers, HRSA recommends that applicants sign up for an ACH account at the same time they submit a Provider Relief Fund application. This will prevent delays in issuing payment once an application has been approved.

(Added 9/29/2021)

The portal currently will say “Get Started” until a final determination has been made on provider payment. If and when a payment has been made, you will be able to move on in the portal to attest to the payment.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Applicants should select the exempt payee code based on the following information.

(Added 10/26/2021)

Applications must be consolidated across eligible subsidiaries and submitted by the parent entity. Applications must be made at the filing TIN level, whenever possible. Applications must include all subsidiaries that provide patient care.

HRSA will review exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Applications that fail to meet this requirement may be deemed ineligible for funding. (See additional requirements in the Instructions (PDF - 330 KB) at Field 17 Annual Revenues from Patient Care Worksheet and Field 18 Organizational Structure Documentation.)

(Added 9/29/2021)

No. The revenues and expenses that are associated with joint ventures with other health care entities should not be included in the hospital or health care system’s application for Phase 4 funds.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. Applicant may include costs that support the delivery of care, such as the health care providers’ information technology, finance, and human resources costs, as part of “operating expenses from patient care” when applying for Phase 4 General Distribution payments.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. Similar to the Phases 2 and 3 General Distribution applications, in cases where a parent files a group tax return for itself and all/or some of its subsidiaries, the parent entity must submit the group tax return that includes all subsidiaries on behalf of which the parent entity is applying. (For additional requirements, see Instruction Field 17 Annual Revenues from Patient Care Worksheet. Application Instructions (PDF - 330 KB))

(Added 9/29/2021)

To ensure accurate calculation of payment for complex organizations with multiple subsidiaries, the parent entity must break out by subsidiary TIN annual patient care revenues and quarterly operating revenues and expenses when applying for Phase 4 funds on behalf of multiple subsidiaries. The applying entity must ensure that these figures reconcile to ones provided on the submitted tax return. (For additional requirements, see Instruction Field 17 Annual Revenues from Patient Care Worksheet. Application Instructions (PDF - 330 KB))

(Added 9/29/2021)

Intercompany rent may be included when reporting “operating expenses from patient care” as well as “operating revenue from patient care.”

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. The FMS organization can include both TINs and associated revenues in their application for the Phase 4 – General Distribution, as long as the services delivered under both TINs qualify as “patient care” and the entity can meet the attestation requirements for both TINs.

(Added 9/29/2021)

Yes. Applicants may include administrative fees provided by the state Medicaid program in the reported revenue, as well as in the percentage of revenue from patient care reported in field 12.

(Added 9/29/2021)

If an applicant health care provider bills for care under a single TIN that provides care across multiple different facilities, the parent organization must report patient revenue and the provider’s change in operating revenues from patient care, minus their operating expenses from patient care for every facility that bills underneath the TIN. 

(Updated 12/4/2020)

Applicants should fill out the single application for Phase 4 and ARP Rural payments. If an applicant believes that it or one of its subsidiaries meets the definition of rural provider, the applicant should answer that it would like to be considered for payment under this distribution. Parent entities applying on behalf of subsidiaries must list all subsidiary TINs in the Provider Relief Fund Application Portal. Please see the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy definition of rural for additional information.

(Added 9/29/2021)