CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, yesterday announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released half of the second round of funding to providers in support of the national response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). West Virginia will receive a total of $34,175,203 in funding within this half of the second round. This funding is part of the distribution of the original $100 billion provider relief fund included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that Congress passed and President Donald J. Trump signed into law. West Virginia received a total of $246,574,851 in funding within the first round of funding.

“I’m glad to see additional funding going to our West Virginia hospitals so they can continue their hard work to battle this pandemic,” Senator Capito said. “Making sure our hospitals have the equipment and resources they need is essential to getting our communities healthy. Again, this funding is only half of the second round and is not the last round from the CARES Act. In addition, with the passage of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) deal, another $75 billion will be available to hospitals after the CARES Act funding is exhausted. There continues to be strong, bipartisan support and personal gratitude for our healthcare workers during this time. I’m optimistic this continued funding will help them do their jobs more safely and efficiently.” 

BACKGROUND:

According to HHS, the next $20 billion of the Provider Relief Fund will be sent out as an advance payment to a portion of providers beginning on April 24th. This payment will be based off of the revenue data providers submit in Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) cost reports. Remaining payments will go out weekly, on a rolling basis, as information is validated. An additional $10 billion will be allocated for rural health clinics and hospitals. This funding will be distributed as early as this week on the basis of operating expenses, using a methodology that distributes payments proportionately to each facility and clinic. These are payments, not loans, to healthcare providers, and will not need to be repaid. 

In addition to the funding announced yesterday, President Trump signed into law an additional $75 billion for hospitals nationwide as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding deal.

More information can be found here.

Senator Capito launched a page on her website to help bring current and accurate information to West Virginians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click HERE to access the webpage for the latest updates and resources. 

# # #