Civil Monetary Penalty Reinvestment Funds Available to Nursing Homes

On March 13, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) issued guidance requiring skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to restrict visitor access. Recognizing that visitor restrictions may be difficult for residents and families, CMS developed an application template for nursing homes to apply for Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment funds for the purchase of communication devices to facilitate communication between residents and families.

According to the criteria set forth by CMS, grant awards must be used to directly address virtual visiting through the purchase of devices and accessories, such as protective screen covers, headphones, or tablet cleaning and disinfectant products. DOH is authorized to approve applications for CMP funding that meet the defined CMS parameters as outlined in the application without review by CMS as long as the requests do not exceed $3,000 per facility. The Department will consider applications based on the applicant’s demonstration of need and availability of existing resources. Facilities requesting to purchase equipment to enhance communication are advised that it is expected that devices will be shared among residents at a ratio of no more than one device per seven residents.

Completed applications and information must be submitted to covidnursinghomeinfo@health.ny.gov by no later than 3 p.m. on July 24, 2020. Any applications that were submitted prior to the issuance of DOH Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) NH 20-07 on July 17, 2020 will need to be resubmitted following the instructions provided. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.

The DAL and application are available here.

Contact: Elliott Frost, efrost@leadingageny.org, 518-441-8761