Program Integrity

Appeals

Any decision made by USAC or Rural Health Care (RHC) regarding eligibility, funding, or payment recovery, can be appealed by the impacted party. The appeal may be made to USAC/RHC, or to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). USAC encourages parties to appeal first to USAC.

What to Include in an Appeal

The following information must be included in a letter of appeal. If USAC is unable to process the appeal because of missing documentation, the appeal will be denied for lack of information.

• Contact information including name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person who can discuss the appeal with USAC in detail;
• Provide documentation of USAC’s decision, e.g., Funding Commitment Letter (FCL), HCP support schedule, or denial letter;
• Include supporting documentation such as forms and supporting documents;
• Explain the appeal to USAC in as much detail as possible;
• Identify a problem and the reason for its appeal; and
• Explain precisely the relief sought through this appeal.

All appellants will receive acknowledgment of the appeal upon receipt. USAC will review all complete appeals and respond with its decision in writing.

For questions about what is required to be submitted with an appeal, contact the appeals team.

When to File an Appeal

USAC must receive a complete appeal (see “What to Include in an Appeal” above) within 60 days of the issuance of the decision by USAC; e.g., a FCL must be appealed within 60 days of the date of the FCL. To allow sufficient time for review, USAC encourages applicants to submit appeals as soon as possible following USAC’s decision.

Failure to provide all required documentation within 60 days of USAC’s decision will result in dismissal of the appeal. See 47 C.F.R. Section 54.719-54.725 for the FCC’s rules on filing an appeal.

To File an Appeal with USAC:

Letters of appeal may be sent by email or regular U.S. mail.

Email Appeals submitted by email will be considered filed on a business day if they are received at any time before 12:00 AM ET.

U.S. Mail Rural Health Care USAC Attention: Letter of Appeal/RHC 2000 L Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036

To File an Appeal with the FCC:

Appeals to the FCC must be made within 60 days of the issuance of USAC’s decision. If appealing a USAC appeal decision, appeals to the FCC must be made within 60 days of the date USAC issued its decision in response to the original appeal.

Electronic Delivery The FCC recommends filing appeals with the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) to ensure timely filing. Instructions for using ECFS can be found on the ECFS page of the FCC website and in the USAC guide to the ECFS. Electronic appeals will be considered filed on a business day if they are received at any time before 12:00 AM ET.

For more information about submitting appeals to the FCC, including options to submit the appeal via U.S. mail or hand-delivery/messenger delivery, visit the FCC’s website.