Governor Wolf signed Act 24 of 2020, which allocates funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – also known as the CARES Act – to assist providers with COVID-19 related costs. Funding from Act 24 must be used to cover necessary COVID-19 related costs incurred between March 1, 2020 and November 30, 2020 that have not been otherwise reimbursed by Federal, State or other source of funding. To qualify for the one-time payment, a person or entity must have been in operation as of March 31, 2020. Under Act 24, $259.28 million of COVID-19 relief funds were allocated to providers of Intellectual Disabilities – Community Waiver program.
Any person or entity accepting a COVID-19 payment must provide documentation to the Department of Human Services (DHS), upon request, for purposes of determining compliance with Act 24 requirements. Providers were previously advised to keep documentation to demonstrate how the funds were used for a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in case of an audit.
DHS has developed the attached reporting forms to collect information about the use of Act 24 funding. The reporting form captures provider information; COVID-19 related staffing, expenditures and revenue losses; and COVID-19 related revenue to determine the net impact. Providers are advised to review guidance for eligible COVID-19 costs on the U.S. Department of Treasury website: Coronavirus-Relief-Fund-Guidance and Coronavirus-Relief-Fund-Frequently-Asked-Questions and DHS guidance DHS Frequently Asked Questions.
DHS is requesting the following two reports from providers:
An interim report which identifies the total COVID-19 related costs each provider projects to incur by November 30, 2020. This interim report is due by October 20, 2020. To assist providers in projecting eligible costs, DHS recommends using the cost report attached and reporting costs that appear in cells H92 and H125. Provider must report the projected costs through a web-based portal.
Providers are required to complete a final cost report and upload it through the web-based portal by no later than December 21, 2020. Providers should keep all documentations related to the costs reported in the final cost report for a minimum of 5 years.
In advance of the report’s due date, DHS recommends providers review the attached cost reporting form and instructions and begin compiling the required information. Information on how to access the web-based reporting portal will be sent through a separate email to each provider. This information will be provided in advance of the submission due dates noted above.
Thank you for your ongoing assistance during these trying times. Please submit any questions about ODP Act 24 expense reporting to Rick Smith.
Rick Smith l Director
PA Department of Human Services l Office of Developmental Programs
Bureau of Financial Management and Program Support
625 Forster Street Room 412 l Harrisburg, PA 17120
717.783.4873