ARP Rural payments are intended to help address the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has had on rural communities and rural health care providers; funding will be available to providers who serve patients in these communities. Eligible applicants can apply for the ARP Rural funds through the same Application and Attestation Portal that is available to apply for the Phase 4 General Distribution. Providers will apply for both programs in a single application.In order to be considered for an ARP Rural payment, applicants must include any billing Tax Identification (TIN) owned by the applicant. ARP Rural payments will be determined based on the amount and type of Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP services provided by billing TINs to rural beneficiaries. Applicants do not need to verify whether their beneficiaries live in an area that meets the definition of rural. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will base payments on data already available to it using the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy definition of rural.
The portal opened on September 29, 2021 and will close on October 26, 2021. The portal and more information on how to complete an application is available on the HRSA website.
