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April 14, 2020

Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the COVID-19 virus, as part of the ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, click here www.coronavirus.gov. For information specific to CMS, please visit the CMS News Room and Current Emergencies Website. CMS updates these resources on an ongoing basis throughout the day; the information below is current as of April 14, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.

Postponement of 2019 Benefit Year HHS-operated Risk Adjustment Data Validation

To facilitate the nation’s response to COVID-19, CMS is announcing the postponement of the 2019 benefit year HHS Risk Adjustment Data Validation (HHS-RADV) process. This action will allow individual and small group health insurance issuers and providers to focus on the health and safety threats currently faced by enrollees, participants, and other impacted individuals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS intends to provide future guidance in the summer of 2020 on the updated timeline for 2019 benefit year HHS-RADV activities that are planned to begin in 2021. CMS previously announced a similar suspension of the Medicare Advantage RADV program.

Memo

Updated Medicaid & CHIP FAQs on Enhanced Federal Funding, Recent Congressional Action

CMS released additional guidance to states on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES). The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) address enhanced federal Medicaid funding and other topics during the COVID-19 national emergency.

Frequently Asked Questions

CMS Approves Additional State Medicaid Waivers and Amendments to Give States Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic

CMS has approved 50 emergency waivers, 28 state amendments, 9 COVID-related Medicaid Disaster Amendments and one CHIP COVID-related Disaster Amendment in record time. States are using a toolkit CMS developed to expedite the application and approval of Medicaid state waivers and State Plan Amendments.

CMS continues to deliver urgent regulatory relief to ensure the State can quickly and effectively care for their most vulnerable citizens. CMS approved a COVID-related Medicaid Disaster Amendment that brings relief to Alabama. These approvals help to ensure that states have the tools they need to combat COVID-19 through a wide variety of state plan flexibilities. CMS continues to authorize amendments to ensure emergency flexibilities in programs that care for the elderly and people with disabilities, including most recently in Arkansas. These approved flexibilities support President Trump’s commitment to a COVID-19 response that is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported.

2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Long-Term Care Facility Transfer Scenarios

CMS is providing supplemental information for transferring or discharging residents between skilled nursing facilities and/or nursing facilities based on COVID-19 status (i.e., positive, negative, unknown/under observation). In general, if two or more certified long-term care facilities want to transfer or discharge residents between themselves for the purposes of cohorting, they do not need any additional approval to do so. However, if a certified long-term care facility would like to transfer or discharge residents to a non-certified location for the purposes of cohorting, they need approval from the State Survey Agency.

Guidance

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COVID-19 has dramatically changed how you interact with potential employees during the hiring process. Scott and Craig de Fasselle from Blitz Media have some thoughts to share.

RCPA members can join in this members-only, free webinar on Wednesday, April 29, 2020
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Here’s what you’ll get out of this webinar:

  • Simple actions you can take now to feel more confident;
  • How to quickly adjust your interview process for social distancing; and
  • A simple approach to get better information from candidates even when you can’t meet face-to-face.

Use this link to register.

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Members are encouraged to save the date of the upcoming Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee Meeting. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 via webinar, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. To participate in the webinar, members are encouraged to register. After registering, interested participants will receive a confirmation email that will contain information about joining the webinar. Questions about the webinar should be directed to Paula Stum.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a new inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) Grouper (Version 4.01), which is effective retroactively to April 1, 2020. This new version includes a new ICD-10-CM code for COVID-19. This new code, U07.1, should be used for assessments with a discharge date of April 1, 2020 or later.

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OMAP Announcement 04-07-2020-03 is to notify all Users of the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) that during the period of the Governor’s emergency disaster announcement related to the COVID-19 Coronavirus, the use of MATP will be limited, since many routine visits are not urgent, and elective procedures are currently prohibited in certain medical facilities under orders issued on March 19, 2020 from the Governor and Secretary of Health. If you have a scheduled appointment that has not yet been cancelled, contact your medical provider to see if the appointment is necessary.

Effective April 1, 2020 and continuing through the Coronavirus emergency declaration only, the mileage reimbursement rate increased to $0.25 per mile. You do not need to do anything at this time to receive the increased rate if you travel to a Medicaid covered medical service during the emergency declaration period. As mentioned above, you are encouraged to contact your health care provider prior to traveling if not for an urgent condition.

As a reminder, this rate is temporary and only continues during the emergency declaration. The rate will return to the established rate of $0.12 per mile after the declaration has ended.

Please let your county MATP agency know if you have any questions. In the meantime, please visit the PA Department of Health’s dedicated web page for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.

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The IRS has issued much-anticipated guidance on the payroll tax deferral component of the CARES Act, which allows companies to defer payment on the company match of the Social Security tax (6.2%) for company payroll for March 27 through December 31. The first 50% of this deferral will need to be paid back by Dec. 31, 2021 and the remaining 50% paid back by Dec. 31, 2022. Thus, this tax deferral can be viewed as a two-year, interest-free loan that gives companies immediate liquidity.

Under the new guidance, companies that have received a PPP loan, but whose loan has not yet been forgiven, may defer deposit and payment of the employer’s share of Social Security tax that otherwise would be required to be made beginning on March 27 through the date the lender issues a decision to forgive the loan without incurring failure to deposit and failure to pay penalties. Click here for additional details.

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