Courtesy of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)

On April 6, 2022, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced an opportunity for providers to submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Period 1 under certain circumstances.

From Monday, April 11 to Friday, April 22, 2022, at 11:59 PM ET, providers who did not submit their Reporting Period 1 report by the deadline may request to submit a late Reporting Period 1 report, via a DocuSign form, if certain extenuating circumstances exist.

During this process, a provider will choose which extenuating circumstance(s) prevented them from meeting the reporting deadline. The allowable reasons that constitute extenuating circumstances are as follows:

• Severe illness or death – A severe medical condition or death of a provider or key staff member responsible for reporting hindered the organization’s ability to complete the report during the reporting period.
• Impacted by natural disaster – A natural disaster occurred during or in close proximity to the end of the reporting period damaging the organization’s records or information technology.
• Lack of receipt of reporting communications – An incorrect email or mailing address on file with HRSA prevented the organization from receiving instructions prior to the reporting period deadline.
• Failure to click “submit” – The organization registered and prepared a report in the PRF reporting portal, but failed to take the final step to click “submit” prior to the deadline.
• Internal miscommunication or error – Internal miscommunication or error regarding the individual who was authorized and expected to submit the report on behalf of the organization and/or the registered point of contact in the PRF reporting portal.
• Incomplete targeted distribution payments – The organization’s parent entity completed all general distribution payments, but a targeted distribution(s) was not reported on by the subsidiary.

Requests to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances must indicate and attest to a clear and concise explanation related to the applicable extenuating circumstance; however, supporting documentation will not be required. If HRSA approves the request, the organization will receive a notification to proceed with completing the Reporting Period 1 report. Providers will have 10 days from the date they receive the notification to submit a report in the PRF reporting portal.

Providers who plan to submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances and have not registered in the PRF reporting portal should complete registration now. Registration instructions are on the PRF reporting webpage.

Please note that providers will also have an opportunity to submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances for Reporting Period 2 if the extenuating circumstances are applicable. Providers will receive a notification regarding the process to submit a request for RP2 in the coming weeks.

For additional information, call the Provider Support Line at (866) 569-3522; for TTY dial 711. Hours of operation are 8 AM to 10 PM CT, Monday through Friday.