Situation Report | August 10, 2020
President Trump Signs Executive Orders to Extend Federal Relief
On Saturday evening, President Donald J. Trump signed four executive actions that would: extend unemployment benefits; prevent residential evictions and foreclosures; assist with student loans; and suspend the collection of payroll taxes.
Federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have questioned the constitutionality of these actions amid a stalemate on negotiations over the next coronavirus aid package.
The White House insists the President’s plan was properly vetted and helpful to the American people following lawmakers’ inability to reach an agreement.
Under the President’s orders, unemployment benefits are reduced from $600 to $400 a week with $100 being paid for by the states — a reduction opposed by Democratic lawmakers. Additionally, states did not receive funding under any of the executive orders. Yesterday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo once again called on Congress to assist state and local governments with government relief.
HCA, in the meantime, has continued to work with federal partners and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice to ensure that relief for home care providers, hospices and managed long term care plans is included in a federal stimulus package. For questions or concerns, please contact HCA’s Director for Policy and Advocacy Alyssa Lovelace.
Post-Payment Reporting Requirements Posted
On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posted a notice for post-payment reporting requirements under the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF) general and targeted distributions.
For organizations who received one or more payments exceeding $10,000 (total), the HHS notice outlines the timing and future reporting requirements. HHS will issue detailed instructions regarding these reports by August 17, 2020, and the reporting system will be available on October 1, 2020.
Each provider that received and used a payment from the PRF agreed to a set of terms and conditions that, among other obligations, requires each recipient to submit reports. The federal government is planning on providing recipients with question-and-answer sessions via webinar in advance of the submission deadline.
All recipients must report 2020 expenditures within 45 days of the end of calendar year 2020. Recipients who have expended funds in full prior to December 31, 2020 may submit a single final report at any time between October 1, 2020 and February 15, 2021. Recipients with funds unexpended after December 31, 2020 must submit a second and final report no later than July 31, 2021.
State Issues COVID-19 Technology SWAT Team Progress Report
The state has released a “New York State COVID-19 Technology SWAT Team Progress Report.”
The report describes some projects that the state has conducted with various partners, including a COVID-19 screening application; COVID-19 screening, scheduling and testing platform; antibody testing platform; statewide COVID-19 testing lookup tool; statewide COVID-19 data dashboard; and more.
Updated OIG and CMS COVID-19 FAQs
The federal Office of the Inspector General has updated its COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
CMS has updated its COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) billing.
OIG Emergency Response Toolkits
On August 3, OIG released two emergency response toolkits designed to help health care providers and community responders effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies as they arise.
- Toolkit: Insights for Communities From OIG’s Historical Work on Emergency Response
- Toolkit: Insights for Health Care Facilities From OIG’s Historical Work on Emergency Response
Paycheck Protection Program Guidance
The Small Business Administration has released a guidance to address borrower and lender questions concerning forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
FEMA Fact Sheet on Sustaining PPE
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has produced a fact sheet summarizing best practices for sustaining personal protective equipment (PPE).