Even as Congressional Negotiations Stall, There’s Still Time to Apply for Emergency COVID-19 Funding

As the broader advocacy community waits to see whether Congress can work through differences this week that are stalling negotiations on a fourth COVID-19 bill, we encourage our members to use the time to apply for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Provider Relief Fund. The fund can cover up to two percent of revenues for eligible providers, which includes Medicaid-funded community-based supports. Many states’ emergency retainer payments during the pandemic are set to expire, so we encourage our members to apply for funding in anticipation of the potential financial impact that expiration will bring.

While political pressure is mounting for Congress to return to the negotiating table, we expect negotiations to be drawn out and encourage our members to take advantage of the CARES Act funding to keep their operations stable in the meantime. The good news is that there is still time for you to apply; the deadline has been extended to end of day August 28, and Medicaid providers that were previously locked out of the funding because their Medicare-funded services were eligible for funds from the April 10 General Distribution are now eligible to apply.