Rural Health Care
About Rural Health Care:
- Overview of the Program
- Overview of the Process
- Monthly Conference Calls
- Individual Outreach
- Understanding Audits
- Training Events
- Filing Appeals
- FCC Links
- Rural Health Care Pilot Program
Rural Health Care Tools:
Evergreen Contracts
Most applicants to the Rural Health Care Program have contracts. For an applicant to be considered under contract, the contract must identify both parties to the contract, be signed and dated by both parties to the contract, specify the type and terms of service, have a specific duration, and be reviewed and verified as to these details by USAC.
Applicants that present such contracts will be considered to have "evergreen status" meaning that for the life of the contract (without any optional extension), they need not re-compete the service or post Form 465, and may annually apply for support of the contracted service by filing the Funding Request and Certification Form (Form 466) and/or the Internet Service Funding Request and Certification Form (Form 466-A). USAC reviews all submitted contracts, determines if they qualify for evergreen status, and logs the contract end date into the applicant's file.
If a health care provider submits a contract that does not meet these FCC requirements for a contract, it is considered to have month-to-month, tariffed service and must post Form 465 and select the most cost-effective service and service provider each year. Support for a month-to-month service cannot start before this selection and the cost of a service termination should not be a consideration in determining the most cost-effective service. The contract status of applicants is indicated in their Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL), which shows "contract" for applicants with evergreen contract status or "tariff" for applicants not considered to be under contract.
Applicants whose contracts have evergreen status are reminded to post Form 465 and re-compete and select a service provider before the life of the contract ends. An optional contract renewal counts as a new contract and must be selected through posting Form 465. Evergreen contract applicants that post a Form 465 should advise any bidders of their contract end date and if it is after the end of the fund year should indicate that in their Form 465 service needs description.
