Rural Health Care Outreach Conference Call Minutes
Thursday, April 11, 2002

Funding Year 5 will commence July 1, 2002. RHCD urged applicants who have not yet posted their FCC Form 465s to do so as soon as possible, in order to complete the required 28-day posting period and ensure a full year of support. Since support is calculated from the 29th day of posting, completing the posting period before the year starts is the best way to ensure eligibility for 12 months of support.

RHCD also reminded applicants of its new electronic certification option, which is available for Funding Year 5 FCC Form 465s. In the coming weeks, FCC Form 467 will also be available for electronic certification, for Funding Years 4 and 5. RHCD will post an announcement on its website when the new option is available. To be eligible electronically certify forms, you must have applied and received a funding commitment (or a zero funding letter) in Fund Years 3 or 4.

RHCD has conducted its planning meeting for Funding Year 6 (July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004). In the interest of making the application process easier for all participants, applicants and service providers can expect shortened, simplified forms, with pre-filled electronic versions available. Although RHCD has discussed the possibility of combining FCC Forms 466 and 468 into a single form, it was decided that this would only make the application process more complicated for those who receive service from multiple service providers.

The FCC is planning to release a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) concerning the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism. Once the NPRM has been released, a reply period will begin during which all interested parties can file comments about the Rural Health Care Program and the NPRM with the FCC. Check the RHCD website in the future for updates and developments.

For Funding Year 4, applicants have posted a total of 1,856 FCC Form 465s, and sent about 1,000 Form 466/468 "packets". RHCD urges those who have not yet submitted their packets to do so as soon as possible. As of April 8, RHCD has issued about $6.8 million in Funding Commitment Letters, providing 231 health care providers with support. $861,000 in Support Schedules have been issued, and RHCD has received $11,000 in invoices from service providers. For Funding Year 5, RHCD has received 461 FCC Form 465s, of which 126 have been electronically certified. HCPs have also submitted 21 Form 466/468 packets.

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