June 12, 2021
HHS Extends Use-of-Funds, Reporting Deadlines for PRF. Yesterday afternoon, as widely anticipated and as requested by AHCA/NCAL and other provider groups, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), issued a notice extending the June 30, 2021, deadline for using Provider Relief Fund (PRF) distributions and for reporting on how the dollars are used. HHS opted for a rolling set of deadlines keyed to when providers receive the funding, the latest stretching out as far as March 31, 2023. The only June 30, 2021, deadline remaining is for use of funds granted between April 10 and June 30, 2020, and the reporting deadline for that distribution is moved back to September 30, 2021. HHS also updated its Reporting Requirements and Auditing webpage and its reporting guidance.
The following table shows the new deadlines:
| | Payment Received Period
(Payments Exceeding $10,000 in Aggregate Received) | Deadline to Use Funds | Reporting Time Period |
|---|
| Period 1 | From April 10, 2020 to June 30, 2020 | June 30, 2021 | July 1 to September 30, 2021 |
| Period 2 | From July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 | December 31, 2021 | January 1 to March 31, 2022 |
| Period 3 | From January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 | June 30, 2022 | July 1 to September 30, 2022 |
| Period 4 | From July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2022 | January 1 to March 31, 2023 |
AHCA/NCAL Webinar on New OSHA COVID-19 Standard. This week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect health care workers from COVID-19 infection. See also this brief summary.
OSHA apparently intends for the new standard to have broad applicability to protect people providing health care services in all settings, including in individual homes. We believe that workers in all OHCA member businesses are covered. The ETS is extensive (916 pages) and detailed. It to some extent duplicates requirements already in place from other agencies such as the Centers for Medicare Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the amount of duplication depends on the requirements applicable to each specific provider type. The ETS will become effective 14-30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
OSHA in Ohio agreed to conduct a webinar for OHCA on the ETS once their compliance team fully digests the new requirements. Please watch for further information as it becomes available. In the meantime, AHCA/NCAL is hosting a webinar by Brad Hammock, an attorney with Littler, on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. Please register for the webinar in advance. Registrants also may submit questions in advance through this Survey Monkey.