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** BLOG UPDATED 8/6/20: This deadline has now been extended to August 28, 2020.  

Dear Kentucky Medicaid & CHIP Leadership

I wanted to send you a note to follow up on the email that CMS sent out last Friday announcing HHS’ extension of the deadline for qualifying Medicaid & CHIP providers to apply for the Medicaid & CHIP Provider Relief Fund distribution.

CMS has been in continuous discussions with our partners at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) about the status of applications for this distribution. This email is intended to provide you with an update on the number of providers from your state that have applied.

As of July 15th, 143 qualifying Medicaid & CHIP eligible providers in Kentucky have applied for the Medicaid & CHIP Provider Relief Fund distribution out of the 22,751 providers identified in the data that your team supplied to CMS.  Of these, 91 Medicaid & CHIP providers have been paid from this distribution.  To ensure that all qualifying providers are aware of the opportunity, as well as the new application deadline, we are requesting that states reach out to your medical, dental, and long-term services and supports (LTSS) providers to remind them that they can begin the application process here. 

To support these efforts, we’ve included below some resources that the HRSA team has released on the Provider Relief Fund that you can share:

Program Overview:
The bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act provide $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other health care providers, including those on the front lines of the coronavirus response. A portion of these funds, under the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Provider Distribution, provide help for providers and clinicians who treat our most vulnerable populations, including low-income and minority patients. This is allocated for eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP Programs and that did not receive a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation. The payment to each provider will be approximately 2 percent of reported gross revenue from patient care.
 
Fact Sheet
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) released a Fact Sheet for Medicaid and CHIP Providers that is now available on the Provider Relief Fund website. 
 
Recorded Webcast
A recording of the June 25 webcast is now available at https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/for-providers/index.html.
 
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In order to better address your most important concerns, HRSA has updated their FAQs to address common questions, including those submitted during the previous webcasts. The FAQs include expanded information on eligibility, application, payment process, and more.
 
Application Instructions
Medicaid and CHIP Provider Distribution Instructions and the Medicaid and CHIP Provider Distribution Application Form are available at hhs.gov/providerrelief. HRSA recommends downloading and reviewing these documents to help you complete the process through the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal. 
 
Additional Information
For additional information, please call the Provider Support Line at (866) 569-3522; for TTY, dial 711. Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday. Service staff members are available to provide real-time technical assistance, as well as service and payment support.