DMAS Instructions on CARES Act Funding
for NFs and ALFs
DMAS has issued instructions on how NFs and ALFs can access the $33 million and $20 million, respectively, in CARES Act funding distributed by Virginia. The program provides funds to cover expenses incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic for the period from July 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020.
In June, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Virginia will use federal CARES Act funding to support licensed NFs and ALFs in the Commonwealth with unreimbursed COVID-19 costs. Funding can be used to reimburse spending on staffing shortages, increasing infection control measures, purchasing personal protective equipment, and other demonstrated COVID-19 costs. To receive reimbursement through this CARES Act funded program, facilities must first offset any other revenues specifically provided for COVID-19 expenses. For NFs this includes federal Provider Relief Funding, Virginia $20 per diem, etc.
Keep in mind that VHCA-VCAL is attempting to modify the program rules through the General Assembly action. Most notably for NFs, DMAS will not recognize lost revenue as a legitimate COVID-expense neither for this funding, nor for the direct provider relief you have received directly from the CARES Act. In other words, if you use the direct provider relief for lost revenue, it will not be considered “spent” for purposes of accessing this new funding. Unless that changes, we are recommending that invoices should not be submitted unless they show eligible unreimbursed “direct” costs above the amount of your lost revenue.
DMAS has been designated as the responsible agency to implement the program. For more information, please review the following documents:
--The enrollment form for eligible providers—both NF and ALFs:
--Letters detailing eligible expenses, enrollment requirements, maximum reimbursement, and relevant deadlines:
--The required invoice workbooks that must be submitted with supporting documentation for reimbursement. You will need to download the appropriate invoice file (there are separate files for NFs and ALFs), which
are posted on the DMAS COVID-19 Response webpage. Scroll to find the yellow “Support for Providers” icon and look for the files called:
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CARES Act Invoice Workbook with Instructions for Nursing Facilities [xlsx]
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CARES Act Invoice Workbook with Instructions for Assisted Living Facilities [xlsx]
