On July 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that dentists who may not have previously been eligible can apply to receive funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Provider Relief Fund. The new group of qualified applicants includes dentists who may not bill Medicare or Medicaid. Eligible dentists who have not received or rejected a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Distribution or the Medicaid & Chip Provider Distribution can receive a reimbursement of 2% of their annual reported patient revenue.

Applications for the Provider Relief Fund Dental Distribution are due by July 24, 2020.

In order to receive funding, providers must meet all six of the following criteria outlined by HHS:

1. Must not have received payment from the initial $50 billion Medicare-focused General Distribution
2. Must not have received payment from the $15 billion Medicaid and CHIP Distribution
3. Must have either filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2017, 2018 or 2019 or be exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return (e.g. a state-owned hospital or healthcare clinic)
4. Must have provided patient care after January 31, 2020
5. Must not have permanently ceased providing patient care
6. If the applicant is an individual, have gross receipts or sales from providing patient care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1

HHS is using a curated list of Taxpayer Identification Numbers to validate known dental providers. The curated list comes from third-party and HHS datasets. If a provider is not on the list they will undergo additional review by HHS to determine if they are eligible to apply for funds.

Once a provider has been granted relief funds they must consent to the terms and conditions of the payment within 90 days of receipt. If a provider does not wish to accept the funds, or does not wish to accept the terms and conditions of the payment, the provider must reject the funds and attestation within 90 days. If a recipient does not take action within 90 days, they are assumed to consent to the terms and conditions.

Providers can apply for the funds and sign the attestation through the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payment Attestation Portal. More information on how to apply and instruction on how to navigate the portal can be found at:

• CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal HHS User Guide
• HHS CARES Act Provider Relief Fund: FAQs
• HHS Dental Distribution FAQs