HHS Announces Additional CARES Act Funds for Nursing Homes

On August 7, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that nursing homes and long-term care facilities will receive an additional $5 billion in payments from the Provider Relief Fund. $2.5 billion will support increased testing, staffing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needs, and establishment of COVID-19 isolation facilities. The remaining $2.5 billion will be linked to nursing home performance, which will consider the prevalence of COVID-19 in the nursing home’s local geography and the facility’s ability within this framework to control COVID-19 spread and related fatalities among its residents.