HHS Announces Providers Can Use Provider Relief Fund Payments for Vaccine Distribution

On October 28, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated the Provider Relief Fund FAQs on Use of Funds to provide that healthcare providers can use payments received from the Provider Relief Fund to pay for equipment, personnel and transportation costs to be used to support distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine licensed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, these funds cannot be used for expenses and losses related to vaccine distribution that have been reimbursed from other sources that are already obligated to reimburse such expenses, including Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program). These new FAQs join other recent guidance from HHS regarding which expenses and losses providers can legally count toward the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund grants.