ARRA Rural Health Funding Matrix

[sites open in new window]

Medicaid, Insurance & Healthcare Access

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Medicaid Federal Matching Assistance Percentage (FMAP)	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	Increase $87 billion was included for the Medicaid program. States will be required to maintain at least current eligibility for the Medicaid program in order to receive this funding	Provides each state with an increase in federal matching funds for state Medicaid expenditures in order to assist states with budget shortfalls avoid cutting back Medicaid assistance.
COBRA Continuation Coverage	Group Health Plan, US Department of Labor	$24.7 billion was included for COBRA Continuation Coverage.	To provide individuals and their families with a premium subsidy of 65 percent of the COBRA continuation premiums for a maximum of 9 months of coverage only with respect to involuntary terminations that occurs on or after September 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2010. The full premium subsidy is limited by a taxpayer's adjusted gross income (AGI), $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for joint filers and is phased out for individuals with an AGI between $125,000 and $145,000 and families with an AGI between $250,000 and $290,000. It provides a special 60-day election period for a qualified beneficiary who is eligible for a subsidized premium and who has not elected COBRA continuation coverage as of the date of enactment or who is no longer enrolled on the date of enactment, for example, because the beneficiary was unable to continue paying the premium. Recession-related job loss threatens health coverage for many families. This provision is intended to provide targeted assistance to individuals and families who have been involuntarily terminated to enable them to afford premium payments for health insurance coverage under COBRA. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this provision would help 7 million people maintain their health insurance by providing a vital bridge for workers who have been forced out of their jobs in this recession.	http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm (866) 4-USA-DOL
Community Health Center Services Grants	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$500 million was included for Community Health Centers.	To increase the number of uninsured Americans who receive quality healthcare. These funds will be dispersed through a competitive grants process and are to be used to support new sites and service areas, to increase services at existing sites, and to provide supplemental payments for spikes in uninsured populations.	http://bphc.hrsa.gov/about/apply.htm http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/default.htm http://dhhs.nv.gov/Grants/Sitemap_Grants.htm 1-877-464-4772 (HRSA Call Center)

Prevention & Community Health Promotion

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Prevention and Wellness Program	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$1 billion was included for the Center for Disease Control for evidence based clinical and community prevention and wellness programs.	To support state and local efforts to fight preventable chronic diseases and infectious diseases. Funds will dispersed through a competitive grants process to carry out evidenced based clinical and community-based prevention and wellness strategies and public health workforce development activities, including immunization programs and state efforts to reduce healthcare-related infections. The Department has not decided which agencies will take the lead but the CDC is likely to be central to these efforts.	http://www.cdc.gov/ http://www.hhs.gov/
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$1 billion was included for Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).	Provides funding to local Community Action Agencies (CAAs) for services for the growing number of low-income families hurt by the economic crisis, such as child care subsidies, jobs skills training, and food pantry assistance.to afford premium payments for health insurance coverage under COBRA. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this provision would help 7 million people maintain their health insurance by providing a vital bridge for workers who have been forced out of their jobs in this recession.	http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/csbg/
Nonprofit Organizations Capacity Building Grant	Office of Community Services, Administration on Children and Families. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$50 million was included for a new grants initiative for nonprofit organizations nationwide.	Creates a new initiative under section 1110 of the Social Security Act to award capacity-building grants directly to nonprofit organizations. These competitive grants will be used to expand the delivery of social services to individuals and communities affected by the economic downturn.	http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/
Tribal Governments Grant Program	Office on Violence Against Women, United States Department of Justice	$20.8 million included for the Tribal Government Grant Program.	The Tribal Governments Grant Program enhances the ability of Tribes to respond to violent crimes against American Indian and Alaska Native women, enhance victim safety, and develop education and prevention strategies. Eligible applicants include federally recognized Indian Tribes, or a consortium consisting of two or more federally recognized Tribes. The OVW will award competitivetheir authorized designee, grants, whose funds must be used for VAWA prevention efforts and prosecution of offenders.	http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/TribalCol.htm http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/recovery.htm http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/indian-tribal-gov-grant.htm Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), ATTN: Tribal Unit, U.S. Department of Justice, 800 K Street, N.W., Suite 920, Washington, D.C. 20530, TEL: (202) 307-3911, (202) 307-2277 (TTY)

Children

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)	Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$1 billion was included for the Center for Disease Control for evidence based clinical and community prevention and wellness programs.	Provides subsidized child care services through vouchers or contracts with providers to low income working families and low-income families in which parents are engaged in education or training.	http://www.cdc.gov/ http://www.hhs.gov/
Head Start Program	Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$2.1 billion was included for Head Start Program funding and the expansion of the Early Head Start Program.	Funding is administered directly to Head Start programs in states to provide development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other activities that prepare children to succeed in school.
Child Nutrition School Equipment Grants	U.S. Department Agriculture	$100 million was included for the School Equipment Grants Program	The Child Nutrition School Equipment Grants provide funding to schools for making necessary improvements to school kitchens in order to handle and process healthy foods.	http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/
Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance	Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$1.04 billion was included for Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance.	To be eligible for this increased funding, states must maintain their Medicaid eligibility standards, methodologies, and procedures as they were in effect on July 1, 2008. Provides each state with a temporary increase in federal matching funds for state expenditures on Title IV-E foster care maintenance, adoption assistance, and kinship guardianship assistance payments.	http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs_fund/

Food, Nutrition, Hunger & Water

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Tribal Water Projects	U.S. Department of the Interior	$60 million included for water intake and treatment facilities.	Reclamation, working with other agencies, supports rural water projects, including water intake and treatment facilities. Priority will be given to authorized rural water projects.	http://www.usbr.gov Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240-0001; Tel: 202 513-0501
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations	Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture	$5 million was included for the Food Distribution Program.	The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides commodity foods to low-income households, including the elderly, living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations and in the State of Oklahoma. Funds under this Act are to be used to upgrade facilities and equipment used for FDPIR. Programming priorities should be communicated with the local FDPIR administrator and regional FNS office.	http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/recovery/memos/FDPIR_022609.pdf
Native Elder Nutrition	Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$3 million total included for expanding nutrition programs; current recipients of these funds will be eligible to receive funding.	This program awards grants directly to Tribes and Tribal organizations and native organizations for nutrition services (including congregate and home delivered meals), information and assistance, transportation, and in-home supportive services. Most sites provide hot congregate meals four to five times a week. Home-delivered meals are available for elders who are in poorer health, are more functionally impaired, are more apt to be homebound and in need of transportation services, or in need of in-home supportive services. Funds will be used to expand nutrition services.	M. Yvonne Jackson, Director, Office of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Programs, Center for Program Operations, Administration on Aging, One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Room 5013, Washington, DC 20201-1401, Yvonne.jackson@aoa.hhs.gov (202) 357-3501
The Emergency Food and Shelter Program	Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security	$100 million was included for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program	Provides grants to local nonprofit and faith-based organizations to supplement their programs for emergency food and shelter services, including short-term assistance with rent, mortgage, and utility bills. The Emergency Food and Shelter Program is administered by a National Board chaired by FEMA. Member agencies of the National Board include American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.; the Salvation Army; United Jewish Communities; and United Way of America. Grants are awarded to non- profit community and government organizations that are chosen by local boards in the qualifying jurisdictions.	http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/efs.shtm http://www.efsp.unitedway.org/

Workforce

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
National Health Service Corps	National Health Service Corps, Health Resources and Services Administration	$300 million was included for the National Health Service Corps.	To address shortages of primary healthcare providers in specific health professional shortage areas. These competitive grants, scholarships, and loan repayment programs will be used for training primary healthcare providers including doctors, dentists, and nurses as well as helping to pay medical school expenses for students who agree to practice in underserved communities through the National Health Service Corps.	http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/
Training and Employment Services	U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration	$250 million for grants	Grants for worker training and placement in high growth and emerging industry sectors, including health care. Eligibility has not yet been established	http://www.dol.gov/recovery
Employment Training Services - Youth	U.S. Department of Labor	$1.2 billion was included for Youth Services Grants, which raise the age of eligibility for youth services provided with the additional funds through age 24 to allow local programs to reach young adults who have become disconnected from both education and the labor market.	To create summer employment opportunities for youth and language applying the work readiness performance indicator to such summer jobs is included as an appropriate measure for those activities. Year-round youth activities are also envisioned.	M. Yvonne Jackson, Director, Office of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Programs, Center for Program Operations, Administration on Aging, One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Room 5013, Washington, DC 20201-1401, Yvonne.jackson@aoa.hhs.gov (202) 357-3501
Health Care Workforce	Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration	$200 million was included for programs under Title VII and Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act.	To provide for training of health professions. These competitive grants, scholarships, and loan repayment programs will be used for all the disciplines trained through the primary care medicine and dentistry program, the public health and preventive medicine program, and the scholarship and loan repayment programs for nurses and health professions.	http://www.hrsa.gov/help/healthprofessions.htm http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/default.htm http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dsa/flrp/ (877) 464-4772 (HRSA Call Center)

Education & Research

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Education Technology	U.S. Department of Education	$650 million was included for the Enhancing Education through Technology program.	The Enhancing Education through Technology program supports State, district, and school efforts to integrate technology into curricula in order to improve teaching and learning. Funding shall be used for technology hardware, software applications, professional development and related instructional technology staff and services. These funds should be used to improve student academic achievement and ensure that students are college and workforce ready by ensuring that every student has 21st century skills and is technology literate. In addition, the funds should be used to increase ongoing and meaningful professional development around technology that leads to changes in teaching and curriculum and improves student achievement.	http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/
Biomedical Research	National Institutes of Health	$8.2 billion was included for expanding biomedical research funded by National Institute of Health.	To expand jobs in biomedical research to study diseases. $7.4 million will be distributed to specific Institutes and Centers and to the Common Fund for biomedical research grants. $800 million will be used by the Office of the Director for purposes that can be completed within two years, including short-term grants focused on specific scientific challenges, new research that expands the scope of ongoing projects, research on public and international health priorities, and to enhance central research support activities, centralized information support systems.	http://www.nih.gov/
University Research Facilities	National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health	$1.3 billion was included for the National Institute of Health to renovate and equip university research facilities.	To renovate and equip university research facilities. These funds will be distributed using the competitive grants process and will be used for the construction and renovation of extramural research facilities and for the acquisition of shared instrumentation and other capital research equipment.	http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/
Comparative Effectiveness Health Research	Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$1.1 billion was included for HHS, the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and NIH	To compare the effectiveness of different medical treatments This funding, dispersed through a competitive grants process, will be used to conduct or support research to evaluate and compare clinical outcomes, effectiveness, risk, and benefits of two or more medical treatments and services that address a particular medical condition. This research will not be used to mandate coverage decisions or impose "onesize-fits-all" medicine on patients. It will be designed to enable medical professionals and patients improve treatment. $300 million will be administered by AHRQ, $400 million will be transferred to NIH, and $400 million will be allocated at the discretion of the Secretary of HHS.	http://www.ahrq.gov/ http://www.nih.gov/

Broadband

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Broadband Technology Opportunities Act	U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration	$4.35 billion for grants and other initiatives.	U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Description: Grants for broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment and support to medical and health care providers to facilitate greater use of broadband services to enhance health care delivery. Grantees may be non-profit foundations, corporations, institutions or associations. Other eligible grantees may be identified by the Commerce Department by rule at a later time.	http://www.commerce.gov/Recovery/index.htm.
Rural Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)	2.5 billion	Grants will be administered by the Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (RUS), through its distance learning and telemedicine broadband programs.	http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm

Health Information Technology

Title	Agency	Funds	Description	Website/Contact
Health Information Technology Grants	Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CDC, and Indian Health Service/States or State- Designated Entities U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	$2 billion was included for discretionary grants to promote the adoption and use of interoperable health information technology (HIT).	To promote the use and exchange of electronic health information in a manner consistent with the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology's strategic plan. To award planning and implementation grants to states or qualified state-designated entities to facilitate and expand electronic health information exchange. To award grants to states or Indian tribes to establish loan programs for health care providers to purchase certified electronic health record technology, train personnel in the use of such technology, and improve the secure electronic exchange of health information. To provide financial assistance to universities to establish or expand medical informatics programs.	http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt
Health Information Technology Improvements	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)	$17 billion was included to improve investments and incentives through Medicare and Medicaid to ensure widespread adoption and use of interoperable health information technology (HIT).	Provides incentives for the early adoption and use of interoperable HIT to Medicare and Medicaid providers and penalties in future years for providers not demonstrating meaningful use of Electronic Health Records. Provides eligible professionals who show meaningful use of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) in 2011 or 2012 with incentive payments of $18,000 in the first year. Payment adjustments for eligible professionals not demonstrating meaningful use of an EHR would begin in 2015. Provides eligible hospitals (including Critical Access Hospitals) with incentive payments starting in Fiscal Year 2011 and payments adjustments for hospitals not demonstrating meaningful use of an EHR in Fiscal Year 2015.	1-800-MEDICARE

Sources:
National Rural Health Association, Rural Health and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
http://www.ruralhealthweb.org/go/rural-health-news/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-summaries-now-online
California Rural Health Association, Selected Provisions Relevant to Rural Healthcare in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
http://www.csrha.org/advocacy/alerts/arra_ruralprovisions_apr2009.pdf

Updated: June 19, 2009