Client Alert: CARES Act Funding Made Available to Dentists

To date, the CARES Act funding has largely excluded the dental provider community. However, in the most recent Medicaid, CHIP and Dental Distribution announced on June 9, 2020, HHS has now made an additional $15 billion in funding available to dental providers who have not received any Provider Relief Funds from the General Distribution even if they do not participate in a Medicaid program. The payment amount will be approximately two percent of their reported gross revenue from patient care after review by the HHS. The deadline for application of these funds is August 3, 2020.

To be eligible, providers must also:

• Not have received payment from the $50 billion General Distribution to Medicare providers; and
• Either:
  • directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services between January 1, 2018-December 31, 2019; or
  • must be a dental service provider who has either (i) directly billed health insurance companies for oral healthcare-related services, or (ii) owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed health insurance companies for oral healthcare-related services; or
  • must be a licensed dental service provider who does not accept insurance and has either (i) directly billed patients for oral healthcare-related services, or (ii) who owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that does not accept insurance and has directly billed patients for oral healthcare-related services.
• Must have either (i) filed federal income tax returns in 2017, 2018, or 2019 or (ii) be tax-exempt; and
• Have provided patient care after January 31, 2020; and
• Not have permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries.

As with other CARES Act relief funds, providers who meet this criteria will need to show proof of same, including providing their most recent federal income tax return or a written statement explaining tax-exempt status, an FTE worksheet and possibly a revenue worksheet. Before filing, you will want to review the instructions and fact sheet. To access the application, click here.

If you have any questions about your eligibility or filing the application, please contact us. We have provided guidance to all types of healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically with Provider Relief Funds.