July 17, 2020
By Jennifer Garvin
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Washington — Eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program dental providers now have until Aug. 3 to apply to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal, the department announced.
“HHS is continuing to work with provider organizations, congressional, state and local leaders to get the word out about this program,” said HHS in a July 17 news release. “To ensure eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers have the opportunity to apply for a funding distribution, the deadline to apply has been extended.”
The deadline for non-Medicaid providers to apply for funding remains July 24. (Read this July 10 ADA News article for more information on how to apply.)
Before applying to receive funding, HHS recommends providers first:
• Read the Medicaid Provider Distribution Instructions Form.
• Download the Medicaid Provider Distribution Application Form.
To be eligible for relief funds, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
• Must not have received payment from the $50 billion General Distribution. This includes providers who have billed Medicare on a fee-for-service basis [Parts A or B] in 2019.
• Must have directly billed Medicaid for health care-related services during the period of Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2019, or own an included subsidiary that has billed Medicaid for health care-related services during the period of Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019.
• Must either have filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2017, 2018 or 2019 or be an entity exempt from the federal income tax return filing requirement and have no beneficial owner who is required to file a federal income tax return (e.g. a state-owned hospital or health care clinic).
• Must have provided patient care after Jan. 31, 2020.
• Must not have permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries. However, dentists that stopped providing care due to the pandemic are eligible.
• Must 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 if the applicant is filing as an individual.
The Provider Relief Fund was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — known as the CARES Act — which directed $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other health care providers, particularly those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For additional information, visit cares.linkhealth.com and look under the Resources and Support tab. There is also a Provider Relief Fund FAQ with additional information on who is eligible to apply.
For more information about the ADA’s advocacy efforts during COVID-19, visit ADA.org/COVID19Advocacy.