Cares Act Provider Relief Funds: HHS Says Providers Will Not Have To Report How Funds Were Spent By July 10, 2020

As discussed in a prior Disclosure article, in response to the Coronavirus Disease (“COVID-19), the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) offered emergency funding to certain health care providers (“Provider Relief Funds”) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). All providers who agreed to accept the funds (“Recipients”) are required to sign an attestation agreeing to certain terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”). Failure to meet the Terms and Conditions is subject to penalty, including an obligation to return all Provider Relief Funds. To ensure compliance and appropriate use of the Provider Relief Funds, the Terms and Conditions and the CARES Act require Recipients of more than $150,000 in CARES Act and other COVID-19 relief funding to submit quarterly reports to the HHS.

Under the guidelines, qualifying recipients were required to submit their initial quarterly report on July 10, 2020. However on June 13, 2020, HHS announced Recipients will not need to submit separate, quarterly reports in the manner originally required.

HHS will continue to track the accepted Provider Relief Funds on its public tracking website, available here. HHS also noted that Recipients can still expect to be required to report to HHS at some point in the future, and the agency will soon generate additional guidance outlining the new reporting requirements and deadlines. HHS made clear that it reserves the authority to request at any time that a Recipient submit a report to ensure compliance with the Terms and Conditions. Thus, Recipients must continue to create and maintain detailed records surrounding the receipt and expenditure of the Provider Relief Funds as required by the Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions related to the Provider Relief Funds, the Johnson Pope Health Care Team is happy to assist.

THIS ARTICLE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE.  LEGAL ADVICE CANNOT BE GIVEN WITHOUT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION.