Behavioral health providers now have a few extra weeks to apply for provider relief funding — federal aid that could play an important role in helping them navigate COVID-19.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the application deadline from Friday, August 28, to Sunday, September 13.
Created by the CARES Act, the Provider Relief Fund set aside $175 billion in relief grants for Medicare and Medicaid health care providers. The money is meant to help reimburse those organizations for eligible expenses and lost revenues attributable to COVID-19.
Generally, organizations can receive up to 2% of their patient care revenues in relief funding.
Any behavioral health provider who has yet to receive that amount can apply for more money by submitting an application to the HHS Provider Relief Fund Phase 2 General Distribution portal.
That includes organizations that bill Medicare and have already received a provider relief payment of less than 2% of its patient care revenues, as well Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care and CHIP providers who have not hit the 2% cap.
