Overview
In December 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act confirmed additional funding for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This second round of support will provide complete funding for telecommunications services, information services, and devices to participating health care providers. This is a second government funded opportunity to access necessary resources to launch and support ongoing telehealth programs, and is available to both new applicants and those who applied but were not awarded in the first round.
The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is not a grant program. The program will require eligible health care providers that are approved for funding to submit an invoicing form and supporting documentation in order to receive reimbursement for eligible expenses and services. “Applicants who receive funding will be required to comply with all program rules and requirements, including applicable reporting requirements, and may be subject to compliance audits.”
Deadlines
- Opens: April 29th, 2021 | 12PM/ET
- Closes: May 6th, 2021 | 12PM/ET
Eligibility
With an emphasis on awarding those who are in low-income areas and areas hardest hit by COVID-19, the following organizations will be eligible to apply for the second round of funding:
- Post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools;
- Community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants;
- Local health departments or agencies;
- Community mental health centers (CMHCs);
- Not-for-profit hospitals;
- Rural health clinics;
- Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs); or
- Consortia of HCPs consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.
Application Process
The ViTel Net team is prepared to help you design and plan an appropriate telehealth program for your FCC funding application. With a modular design and integrated approach the ViTel Net platform can help you power a robust telehealth ecosystem to better support ongoing COVID-19 initiatives.
In order to apply to the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, you will need to:
- Request an eligibility determination from USAC by filing an FCC Form 460
- Obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN) and an FCC Commission Registration System (CORES) ID
- Start the process for registering for a System for Awards Management (SAM) account
To learn more about the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and all application requirements access the USAC resources available HERE
Awards
The FCC will distribute around 150 million during this application window with a two phased planned approach. The applications will be reviewed by a point system that will distribute a maximum of 15 points to health care providers in the areas most impacted by COVID-19, those in low-income areas and those who were not approved in round one.
