HHS Updates its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQs.
Last week, HHS updated its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The new or modified relevant FAQs are copied below. The largest change is the update of the FAQs to conform to the new deadline of 90 days to attest to the payment before HHS considers the provider to have (by default) attested by retaining the funds. The 5/29 changes have additional information warranting review.
What action does a provider need to take after receiving a Provider Relief Fund payment? (Modified 5/26/20)
The CARES Act requires that providers meet certain terms and conditions if a provider retains a Provider Relief Fund payment. If a provider chooses to retain the funds, it must attest that it meet these terms and conditions of the payment. The CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payment Attestation Portal will guide you through the attestation process to accept or reject the funds. Not returning the payment within 90 days of receipt will be viewed as acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. A provider must attest for each of the Provider Relief Fund distributions received.
How can I return a payment I received under the Provider Relief Fund? (Modified 5/26/2020)
Providers may return a payment by going into the attestation portal within 90 days of receiving payment and indicating they are rejecting the funds. The CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payment Attestation Portal will guide providers through the attestation process to reject the funds.
To return the money, the provider needs to contact their financial institution and ask the institution to refuse the received Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) credit by initiating an ACH return using the ACH return code of “R23 - Credit Entry Refused by Receiver." If a provider received the money via ACH they must return the money via ACH. If a provider was paid via paper check, after rejecting the payment in the attestation portal, the provider should destroy the check if not deposited or mail a paper check to UnitedHealth Group with notification of their request to return the funds.
Is there a publicly available list of providers and the payments they received through the Provider Relief Fund? (Modified 5/26/2020)
HHS has posted a public list of providers and their payments once they attest to receiving the money and agree to the Terms and Conditions. All providers that received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund and retain that payment for at least 90 days without rejecting the funds are deemed to have accepted the Terms and Conditions. Providers that affirmatively attest through the provider portal or that retain the funds past 90 days, but do not attest, will be included in the public release of providers and payments. The list includes current total amounts attested to by providers from each of the Provider Relief Fund distributions, including the General Distribution, Rural Distribution, and High-Impact Areas Distribution.
What should a provider do if a General Distribution payment is greater than expected or received in error? (Modified 5/26/2020)
Providers that have been allocated a payment must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agree to the Terms and Conditions within 90 days of payment. If a provider believes it was overpaid or may have received a payment in error, it should reject the entire General Distribution payment and submit the appropriate revenue documents through the General Distribution portal to facilitate HHS determining their correct payment. If a provider believes they are underpaid, they should accept the payment and submit their revenues in the provider portal to determine their correct payment.
If I changed my mind after I rejected a Provider Relief Fund Targeted Distribution payment through the Attestation Portal and returned the payment, can I receive a new payment? (Added 5/29/2020)
No, HHS will not issue a new payment to a provider that received and then subsequently rejected and returned the original payment. The provider may be considered for future distributions if it meets the eligibility criteria for that distribution.
What is the definition of Executive Level II pay level, as referenced in the Terms and Conditions? (Added 5/29/2020)
The Terms and Conditions state that none of the funds appropriated in this title shall be used to pay the salary of an individual, through a grant or other mechanism, at a rate in excess of Executive Level II. The salary limitation is based upon the Executive Level II of the Federal Executive Pay Scale. Effective January 5, 2020, the Executive Level II salary is $197,300. For the purposes of the salary limitation, the direct salary is exclusive of fringe benefits and indirect costs. The limitation only applies to the rate of pay charged to Provider Relief Fund payments and other HHS awards. An organization receiving Provider Relief Funds may pay an individual’s salary amount in excess of the salary cap with non-federal funds.
Can providers who have ceased operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic still receive this funding? (Added 5/29/2020)
If a provider ceased operation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are still eligible to receive Provider Relief funds so long as they provided on or 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, therefore, care does not have to be specific to treating COVID-19. Recipients of funding must still comply with the Terms and Conditions related to permissible uses of Provider Relief Fund payments.
If a provider secures COVID-19-related funding separate from the Provider Relief Fund, such as the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, does that affect how they can use the payments from the Provider Relief Fund? Does accepting Provider Relief Fund payments preclude a provider organization from seeking other funds authorized under the CARES Act? (Added 5/29/2020)
There is no direct ban under the CARES Act on accepting a payment from the Provider Relief Fund and other sources, so long as the payment from the Provider Relief Fund is used only for permissible purposes and the recipient complies with the Terms and Conditions. By attesting to the Terms and Conditions, the recipient certifies that it will not use the payment to reimburse expenses or losses that have been reimbursed from other sources or that other sources are obligated to reimburse.
How will HHS recoup funds from providers that are required to repay all or part of a Provider Relief Fund payment? (Added 5/29/2020)
HHS has not yet detailed how recoupment or repayment will work. However, the Terms and Conditions associated with payment require that the Recipient be able to certify, among other requirements, that it was eligible to receive the funds (e.g., provides or provided after January 31, 2020, diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19) and that the funds were used in accordance with allowable purposes (e.g., to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus). Additionally, recipients must submit all required reports as determined by the Secretary. Non-compliance with any Term or Condition is grounds for the Secretary to direct recoupment of some or all of the payments made. HHS will have significant anti-fraud monitoring of the funds distributed, and the Office of Inspector General will provide oversight as required in the CARES Act to ensure that Federal dollars are used appropriately.
How is HHS publicly reporting Provider Relief Fund payments? Would it be accurate to add the payments received by a health care provider together based on the provider’s name in order to determine how much a particular organization has received as a whole? (Added 5/29/2020)
This approach may not be accurate. Each row in the public use file (PUF) is associated with an individual billing TIN, which is the unique identifier that received and attested to one or more payments. If an organization name is listed more than once, it may be because the organization has more than one billing TIN that received a payment, or it may be because multiple providers have the same name.
How did HHS determine the additional payments under the General Distribution? (Modified 5/29/20)
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 net patient revenue. The allocation methodology is designed to provide relief to providers, who bill Medicare fee-for-service, with at least 2% of that provider’s net patient revenue regardless of the provider’s payer mix. Payments are determined based on the lesser of 2% of a provider’s 2018 (or most recent complete tax year) net patient revenue 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 patient revenue, you may not receive additional General Distribution payments.
I am a healthcare provider that received a previous General Distribution payment and I submitted my revenue information through DocuSign. Why am I not receiving an additional payment? (Modified 5/29/2020)
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 net patient revenue. Payments are determined based on the lesser of 2% of a provider’s 2018 (or most recent complete tax year) net patient revenue 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 patient revenue, you may not receive additional General Distribution payments. There may be additional distributions in the future for which providers are eligible.
How long does it take for HHS to make a decision on additional General Distribution funding? When can I expect to receive additional funds? (Modified 5/29/2020)
HHS is working to process all providers’ submissions as quickly as possible. 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 net patient revenue. Payments are determined based on the lesser of 2% of a provider’s 2018 (or most recent complete tax year) net patient revenue or the sum of incurred losses for March and April. If after further review of your resubmitted revenue information, the initial General Distribution payment you received between April 10 and April 17 was determined to be at least 2% of your annual patient revenue, you may not receive additional General Distribution payments. It is the Department’s intention to distribute relief funds as quickly as possible.
How will HHS notify me that my application has been processed? (Modified 5/29/2020)
You will receive an email when your application is completed. You will receive a notification from HHS as to the final status of your application. 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 net patient revenue. Payments are determined based on the lesser of 2% of a provider’s 2018 (or most recent complete tax year) net patient revenue or the sum of incurred losses for March and April. If after further review of your resubmitted revenue information, the initial General Distribution payment you received between April 10 and April 17 was determined to be at least 2% of your annual patient revenue, you may not receive additional General Distribution payments.