AHCA/NCAL Unveils COVID-19 Grant and Loan Management Resource Guide Patrick Connole 4/29/2020 FinanceCaregiving Page Content The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has developed a basic primer (login required) for organizing oversight and day-to-day management of the array of federal grants and loans available to long term care providers during the COVID-19 emergency. The guidance includes federal cost reporting guidelines as well as recommended financial management approaches for association members. The document will be updated as the federal government and states release new or revised guidance. To download the Resource Guide, providers need to log into the AHCA/NCAL website and go here or the Finance and Reimbursement section of the association’s COVID-19 webpage. Also, available to AHCA/NCAL members is a COVID-Related Loss and Cost Calculator (login required). The purpose of this Excel Workbook is to offer a basic tool for providers to assess allowable costs already reimbursed by pre-COVID payers, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and compare such reimbursement to shortfalls where grants and loans fill funding gaps. This tool will be particularly useful with reporting on and documenting use of the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund grants, AHCA/NCAL said. To download the calculator, providers can log into the AHCA/NCAL website and go here, or the Finance and Reimbursement section of its COVID-19 webpage. In other news, the AHCA Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment FAQs have been updated to reflect the April 26 announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that it is reevaluating the amounts that will be paid under its Accelerated Payment Program to Part A facility-based providers, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and suspending its Advance Payment Program to Part B suppliers effective immediately. Specifically impacting SNFs, beginning on April 26, CMS will be reevaluating all pending and new applications for Accelerated Payments submitted by SNFs and other facility-based providers in light of the $175 billion recently appropriated by Congress for health care provider relief payments. Significant additional funding will continue to be available to health care providers through these other programs, AHCA/NCAL said. Please email COVID19@ahca.org for additional questions, or visit ahcancal.org/coronavirus for more information. Related News COVID-19 CMS Clarifies Holiday Visitation Via New Alert Families, residents, and providers need take precautions during the holidays to reduce the risk of spread. READ MORE COVID-19 NCAL Focus Remains on Saving Lives as Pandemic Continues to Test Communities NCAL executive director discusses the ongoing pandemic and its impact on life inside assisted living communities among residents and staff. READ MORE COVID-19 Nursing Homes See Major Spike in New COVID Cases Due to Community Spread New data show that with the spike in new COVID cases in the overall U.S. population, weekly nursing home cases are also on the rise. READ MORE View All News Related Articles Workforce COVID-19 10/31/2020 Helping the Heroes of Long Term Care Leaders share how they support caregivers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE Quality Caregiving 10/31/2020 Communities Celebrate National Assisted Living Week Across the country, residents and staff honor each other and also have some good times. READ MORE Caregiving 10/15/2020 NIC Says Senior Housing Occupancy Experiences Largest Decline on Record New NIC data show that senior housing occupancy declined 2.6 percentage points in the third quarter of 2020, from 84.7 percent to 82.1 percent. READ MORE