CategoryCOVID-19 Newsletters

Federal Updates HHS Releases Interim Final Rule on COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage, Other Flexibilities On October 28th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), alongside the Department of Labor and the Treasury Department, released an interim final rule with request for comments (IFC) (available here) in response to COVID-19, with particular emphasis on establishing coverage policies…

Federal Updates HHS Updates Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements and Eligibility On October 22nd, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an announcement (availablehere) making changes to the reporting requirements and eligibility requirements for the General Distribution of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). First, HHS is amending the PRF reporting requirements that were…

Governor Cuomo Announces Adjustments to COVID-19 Cluster Strategy Restrictions On October 21st, Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced adjustments to the State’s efforts to address COVID-19 clusters through local restrictions. Cluster zone designations will be adjusted as follows:  Areas will exit a red zone if they have an infection rate under…

Governor Cuomo Announces Statewide Vaccine Administration Program On October 18th, Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced details of New York State’s COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Program. While the federal government will distribute any approved vaccine at a national level, New York will have a statewide vaccination plan that all local governments will…

Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order 202.69 On October 14th, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.69 (available here), which extends the following provisions through November 13th: Authorizes the Commissioner of Health to suspend or revoke the operating certificate of any skilled nursing facility or adult care facility if that facility has not complied with regulations or directives from DOH. Authorizes licensed…

CMS Issues COVID-19 Data Elements IFC On October 6th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule (IFC) that lays out new regulatory requirements for all hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to report COVID-19 information during the PHE. The IFC updates a previous rule in response to COVID-19, which…

Governor Cuomo Announces Actions to Address COVID-19 Clusters Today (October 5th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he made several announcements regarding new State actions to address COVID-19 outbreaks in New York State. The infection rate across the top 20 ZIP code “hotspots” was 5.5 percent yesterday, which includes neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens,…

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…

Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order 202.64 On September 18th, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.64 (available here), which extends the following provisions through October 18th: Authorizes the Commissioner of Health to suspend or revoke the operating certificate of any skilled nursing facility or adult care facility if that facility has not complied with regulations or directives from…

Governor Cuomo Announces $88.6 Million in Additional Child Care Funding; COVID-19 Status Still Stable Today (September 14th), Governor Cuomo announced the 38th straight day during which less than 1 percent of COVID-19 tests statewide were returned positive. Yesterday, 63,358 test results were reported to the State, with 583 returning positive (0.83 percent). Hospitalizations, ICU occupancy, and deaths also remain stable…

Governor Cuomo Announces $88.6 Million in Additional Child Care Funding; COVID-19 Status Still Stable Today (September 14th), Governor Cuomo announced the 38th straight day during which less than 1 percent of COVID-19 tests statewide were returned positive. Yesterday, 63,358 test results were reported to the State, with 583 returning positive (0.83 percent). Hospitalizations, ICU occupancy, and…

Senate Fails to Pass GOP COVID-19 Relief Bill Today (September 10th), the Senate failed to gain the 60 votes required for the Republicans’ proposed version of a new COVID-19 relief package, the “Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act” (S. 178). The Senate vote of 52-47 was largely along party lines,…