UPDATE: The application deadline for Medicaid, CHIP, and dentists has been extended to August 28, 2020. When this was originally posted the application deadline date was July 24, 2020
A New Decision Made
On July 10, 2020, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they have created new qualifications to allow all dentists to apply to the Provider Relief Fund. Previously, it mandated that dentists were ineligible for the relief if they were not Medicare or Medicaid providers.
This new decision allows any dentists to apply, and if eligible, will receive a reimbursement of 2% of their annual reported patient revenue, and it is not necessary to be a Medicare or Medicaid provider. As quickly as this announcement has come, so is the deadline for filing, dentists have until August 3, 2020, to apply.
Applications and Requirements
To be eligible to apply, according to the American Dental Association website (ADA), a dentist must meet all of the following requirements:
- Must not have received payment from the initial $50 billion Medicare-focused general distribution.
- Must not have received payment from the $15 billion Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) distribution.
- Must have filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2017, 2018 or 2019 or be an entity exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return (for example, a state-owned hospital or health care clinic).
- Must have provided patient dental care after Jan. 31.
- Must not have permanently ceased providing patient dental care directly or indirectly through included subsidiaries. However, dental offices that shut down during the pandemic are eligible.
- If the applicant is an individual, have gross receipts or sales from providing patient dental care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, excluding income reported on a W-2 as a statutory employee.
The application is available online and can be completed any time between now and August 3, 2020. The following items are needed to complete the application:
- Most recent federal income tax return
- Federal Form 941 for the quarter ending 3/31/2020, or the 2019 Federal Form 941
- Full-time employee (FTE) worksheet and Gross Revenue worksheet
With completing the application, there is an agreement of the terms and conditions which includes a payment within 90 days of receipt and that the money cannot be used for the exact expenses as money received from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Finally, information on who received the relief and what their practice grosses in a year will be made public. If there are any additional questions, a list of FAQs for dentists is listed on the HHS website.
Our dental team at Rea & Associates is also available to answer any questions you may have or even help you complete the application. Contact us today so you don’t miss out on this opportunity for your dental practice.
Contact Alan Hill, CPA, Director of Dental Services
Additional Resources
[BLOG] CARES Act Features Opportunities For Healthcare Organizations
[RESOURCE CENTER] Paycheck Protection Program
[ON-DEMAND WEBINAR] Paycheck Protection Program: The Final Chapter