The ADA is encouraging dentists to apply for the fourth phase of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund as soon as possible ahead of the Oct. 26 deadline.
Any dentist, regardless of Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program status, who directly billed or owns a subsidiary that directly billed a patient or health insurance company for oral health care-related services during the period of Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2020, is eligible to apply, according to HRSA.
The applying dentist must also have filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2018, 2019 or 2020, or be exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return. They must also have provided patient care after Jan. 31, 2020, and must not have permanently ceased providing patient care.
To see a full explanation of providers who are eligible to apply for a Phase 4 General Distribution, visit the HRSA website.
All applications must be submitted online in the Provider Relief Fund Application and Attestation Portal. The ADA also wants to highlight that these are payments, not loans, and therefore do not have to be paid back if fully utilized. In Phase 4 HRSA will be reimbursing smaller providers for their changes in operating revenues and expenses at a higher rate compared to larger providers, and bonus payments based on the amount of services providers furnish to Medicaid/CHIP and Medicare beneficiaries will also be paid.
The Provider Relief Fund was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and allows eligible dental service providers to apply for payments, not loans, made for health care-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19.
The ADA has an FAQ to help dentists who may have questions about the Provider Relief Fund.
HRSA also is assisting providers with a Provider Support Line at 1-866-569-3522 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

There is also a webinar on  Oct. 21 to help dentists navigate the application portal. Both webinars are from 3-4 p.m. ET.

For providers who received funding in previous phases of the Provider Relief Fund, HHS is reminding them to submit their information to the PRF Reporting Portal. Dentists who received an aggregate payment exceeding $10,000 between July 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, have until Dec. 31, 2021, to use their funds and from Jan. 1-March 31, 2022, to submit their reports. For the third reporting period, dentists have until Sept. 30, 2022, and for the fourth period, the final deadline will be March 31, 2023. See the HRSA Reporting Requirements page for more detail.

For more information about eligibility requirements, documents and information needed, and application process, visit the HRSA website.