CMS updated this 5-page Admin Info: 20-07-ALL notification on June 19, 2020.  The original was posted April 30, 2020.

“On March 4, 2020, CMS called for States to focus surveys on infection control and on March 23, 2020 provided a streamlined tool to facilitate these efforts. There is currently wide variation in the number of Focused Infection Control surveys of nursing homes performed by States, between 11%-100% (with a national average of approximately 54.1%). Based on the COVID-19 nursing home data being reported to the CDC, CMS believes further direction is needed to prioritize completion of focused infection control surveys in nursing homes.

Therefore, States that have not completed 100% of their focused infection control nursing home surveys by July 31, 2020 will be required to submit a corrective action plan to their CMS location outlining the strategy for completion of these surveys within 30 days. If, after the 30-day period, States have still not achieved surveys in 100% of their nursing homes, their CARES Act FY2021 allocation may be reduced by up to 10%. Subsequent 30-day extensions could result in an additional reduction up to 5%. These funds would then be redistributed to those States that completed 100% of their focused infection control surveys by July 31. For additional information, please reference QSO-20-31-All released on 6/1/20.”

Access to FY 2020 CARES Act allocations will be based on the following:

• All States may request FY 2020 CARES Act supplemental funding, up to their FY 2020 proportional allocation cap.

• States that have completed 100% of their nursing home focused infection control surveys will be able to request their entire FY 2020-FY2023 CARES ACT funding allocation (at their discretion) and can also apply for redistributed funding from States that failed to meet performance goals.

Steps/Actions to obtain CARES Act funds for COVID-19 Survey Activities (All States)

1. Request COVID-19-only budget requirements from SAs. SAs who will need funding above their regular S&C funding for COVID-19 related activities must submit a documented budget request to their CMS Location budget contacts by July 10th, detailing the basis behind the request, including but not limited to the following information:

• The number of COVID-19 related surveys and onsite activities;
• Cost per survey;
• Personnel costs;
• Equipment costs;
• Fringe benefits and indirect costs;
• Other COVID-19 related costs.

These requests should be based upon a reasonable level of COVID-19 related work expected to be performed in each fiscal year, over and above standard S&C workload, beginning with the last two quarters of FY 2020. Additionally, the detail needs to clearly show the Medicare portion that is requested above what is not already funded out of the current S&C annual allocation. To ensure that adequate CARES Act supplemental funding is available for all States, CMS will utilize an allocation method based on the proportion of nursing homes in each State as compared to the national total. These guidelines are flexible with respect to both fiscal year and amount, so if it is determined that a different level of funding is needed within different years, then amounts can be adjusted, as long as it does not exceed the total proportional allocation.”

On a related note at least regarding monies and the CARES Act, the DOJ and OIG posted an unaudited Status of CARES Act Funding as of June 12, 2020 report.  It has nothing to do with healthcare or LTC, but you may find the contents interesting as it pertains to the CARES Act and taxpayer monies.  It’s a quick 5-page read.  Here’s a graphic with summary info to peruse:

Want to keep up with the changing COVID-19 situation in skilled nursing?