Application Open for State Healthcare Provider Coronavirus Relief Fund Grant Programs

​The application is now available for South Dakota’s Healthcare Provider Coronavirus Relief Fund Grant Programs. The application is available online from October 13 – October 23, 2020.  Applications are based on tax identification numbers, with one tax identification number allowed per application. For providers operating both a nursing facility and a hospital under the same tax identification number, the state has directed providers to seek assistance with their application from the Provider Help Line at 605.937.7243 or via email at COVID.HEALTHCAREGRANTS@state.sd.us or via Daily Office Hours held from 3-4 PM CT for healthcare programs. Resources and Frequently Asked Questions will be posted on the South Dakota Covid-19 website. Slides overviewing the application process are available here.

$115 million is set aside for Community Based Healthcare Providers including skilled nursing facilities and assisted living providers and $15 million for hospitals. Funds will be distributed on a pro-rata basis. The state has elected to award both healthcare grants on a reduction in business calculation based on 2020 net revenues and expenses from March – September minus 2019 net from the same period plus any federal COVID-19 aid received. Healthcare providers will have to attest to the amount all federal COVID-19 aid received including paycheck protection program loans, HHS Provider Relief Funds, Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payments, FEMA Public Assistance Program payments, FCC Telehealth funding, Reimbursement from the Health Resources Services Administration for testing and treatment of Uninsured COVID-19 patients, the value of the Employer Retention Tax Credit, Economic Injury Disaster Recovery Loans, and any other COVID-19 federal payment or grant. The state is collecting information on loans such as the Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payments but has stated they will not be used in the calculation unless Congress acts to forgive the loan or loan amount. The application also asks for healthcare providers to identify any other planned or pending COVID-19 relief funds, referring to potential Phase 3 Provider Relief Fund distributions. The state clarified that providers should not estimate funds or include unknown amounts on their applications, but that providers should be aware of restrictions on federal funds.

Within the application, healthcare providers will be required to supply the following information:

1. Point of contact information (phone, email, physical address)
2. TIN number (or EIN number, if applicable)
3. Bank account information for electronic payment of funds
4. Profit & Loss Statement for March through September 2019
5. Profit & Loss Statement for March through September 2020
6. Actual revenue and expense information required; no estimated revenues or expenses
7. Separate identification of all COVID-19 Federal Aid received through September 2020
8. Identification of any other planned or pending application to the federal government for COVID-19 relief

We encourage all eligible providers to submit an application for CRF funds regardless of if you expect to receive a payment based on the current calculation. We anticipate that the distribution methodology may result in low expenditures in the first round of funding distributions and that a second round of distributions may follow at a later date, potentially with a different distribution mechanism. In order to ensure eligibility for a second round distribution, we encourage all hospitals and nursing home/assisted living providers to apply through the state application portal.