Governor Cuomo Provides Update on New York State COVID-19 Progress
Today (September 28th), Governor Cuomo provided an update on New York’s progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In recent days, the rate of positive tests has begun to increase. Of the 52,936 COVID-19 tests reported yesterday, 834 were positive (1.5 percent). There were 543 total hospitalizations and 11 deaths reported yesterday, also representing small increases. These increases are partly related to clusters in certain areas which the State is monitoring, including Brooklyn, Orange County, Rockland County, and the Southern Tier. The Governor urged New Yorkers, particularly those residing in those areas, to continue COVID-19 safety practices such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
The Governor also announced that the State moratorium on COVID-19 related residential evictions will be extended until January 1, 2021. The Governor’s press release is available here.
HHS Releases Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements
On September 19th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a notice on reporting requirements for health care providers who received at least $10,000 through the CARES Provider Relief Fund (PRF). The reporting process has been delayed, and the timeline is now as follows:
- January 15, 2021 – Reporting portal opens
- February 15, 2021 – First reporting deadline for all providers
- July 31, 2021 – Final reporting deadline for providers who had remaining unexpended funds in 2021
Recipients must report the following categories of information:
Demographic Information
- The name of the reporting entity.
- The entity’s Tax Identification Number (TIN).
- (Optional) The entity’s National Provider Identifier (NPI).
- The entity’s fiscal year end date.
- The entity’s federal tax classification.
2020 Unreimbursed COVID-19 Expenses
- Entities who received a total of less than $500,000 should report healthcare related expenses attributable to COVID-19, net of other reimbursed sources, in two aggregated categories: (1) general and administrative (G&A) expenses and (2) other healthcare expenses such as personal protective equipment (PPE). These may include any expenses incurred in treatment of suspected or confirmed COVID-19, preparation for possible COVID-19 cases, and maintaining healthcare delivery capacity, among other purposes.
- Entities who received $500,000 or more in PRF funding must report more detailed information within the above two categories. Specifically:
- G&A expenses must be categorized into mortgage/rent; insurance; personnel; fringe benefits; lease payments; utilities/operations; and other G&A.
- Healthcare expenses must be categorized into supplies (including PPE); equipment; information technology; facilities; and other healthcare related expenses.
Lost Revenues Directly Attributable to COVID-19
- Total revenue/net charges from patient care related sources, for both of the calendar years (CY) 2019 and 2020, on a quarterly basis.
- The payer mix for revenue from patient care, for both CY 2019 and 2020.
Other Financial Assistance
- Any other financial assistance received in calendar year 2020, such as funds from the Treasury, Small Business Administration and the CARES Act/Paycheck Protection Program.
Providers will also submit quarterly information on personnel (e.g., number of staff), patient (e.g., number of visits), and facility (e.g., total number of beds). Separate reporting requirements will be announced for the Nursing Home Infection Control and the Rural Health Clinic Testing distributions.
The PRF reporting requirements are available here.
OCFS Releases CARES Act Grant Applications for Child Care Programs
Earlier this month, Governor Cuomo announced that an additional $88.6 million in funding provided through the CARES Act will be made available in New York to support child care provision in response to COVID-19, as follows:
- $20 million is available to directly subsidize 14-week scholarships for the children of essential workers with income under 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
- $20 million is available for displaced school-based child care programs to rent new facilities. Each program will be eligible to receive $2,000 per month for four months.
- $20 million will support grants to reopen child care programs that have closed due to COVID-19.
- $28.6 million will provide child care providers with matching funds of up to half the cost (up to $6,000) of opening up to three classrooms.
On September 25th, OCFS released the materials to apply for funding here. The application for child care scholarships for the children of eligible essential workers is not yet available. Interested applicants may sign up to receive an email when the application becomes available here.