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:
2000 Latest News Archive
Holiday Hours of Operation Notice
To enable our employees to enjoy the holiday season with their families, the Rural Health Care Customer Service Center will be closed Monday, December 25, Tuesday, December 26 and Monday, January 1. Safe & Happy Holidays!
FCC Approves Six USAC Board Members; Three new members and three members re-approved.
William Kennard, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved six individuals to three-year terms to the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). USAC administers the Universal Service Fund (USF), which provides communities across the country with access to affordable telecommunications services. USAC is a private, not-for-profit company directed by the FCC to administer the USF. USAC administers the four universal service programs (the High Cost Program, Low Income Program, Rural Health Care Program, and the Schools and Libraries Program).
The approvals are a result of a November 6, 2000 FCC public notice soliciting nominations to fill the vacancies that would be created when the terms of six current members expire on December 31, 2000. The USAC Board represent the diverse stakeholders that participate in the universal service programs. The terms are staggered and six expire each year.
The six nominations approved by the chairman of the FCC and the stakeholder group represented are:
- Kevin Hess, Vice-president, TDS TELECOM - Incumbent local exchange carriers (other than Bell Operating Companies) with annual operating revenues in excess of $40 million (re-appointed)
- Joel Lubin, Vice-president, AT&T - Interexchange carriers with more than $3 billion in annual operating revenues.
- Allan T. Thoms, Chairman, Iowa Utilities Board - State telecommunications regulators (re-appointed)
- Dr. Jay Sanders, President & CEO, Global Telemedicine Group -Rural health care provider that are eligible to receive support (re-appointed)
- Rev. William F. Davis, Assistant Secretary for Catholic Schools and Public Policy, United States Catholic Conference- Schools that are eligible to receive support
- Robert Rivera, Spectrum Communications, Inc. and MeshworX, Inc. - Information Service Providers
Holiday Hours Announcement
The Rural Health Care Customer Service Center will be closed on Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24, 2000 in observance of Thanksgiving. The Customer Service Center will resume normal operations on Monday, November 27 at 8:00 a.m. EST.
Another Financial Resource for Rural Health Care Providers!
Another Financial Resource for Rural Health Care Providers! The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service began accepting applications on November 8, 2000 for the 2001 Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant and Loan Program. For Fiscal Year 2001, $25 million will be available for grants, $200 million will be made available for loans, and approximately $100 million will be available for combination grants/loans. Details concerning the program, including a user-friendly application guide, can be found at the RUS DLT web site.
Important
Notice - October 27, 2000 Deadline for Completing Year 2 Forms 466/468
In order to provide support, RHCD must receive a completed Form 466/468 packet from rural health care providers who have applied for support for Year 2 of the Program (7-1-99 to 6/30/00) by OCTOBER 27, 2000. The Form 466/468 packet informs RHCD that the health care provider has entered into an agreement with a telecommunications carrier for a service supported the by universal service support mechanism. The completed Form 466/468 packet must include:
- Form 466 (Services Ordered and Certification Form), completed by the health care provider
- Form 468 (Telecommunications Service Providers Support Form), completed by the telecommunications carrier representative
- Support Calculations (e.g. Form 468 Worksheet), completed by the telecommunications carrier representative
- Contract document or tariff designation, provided by either the health care provider or telecommunications carrier representative.
If you have questions or require assistance, please contact our Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476.
Telecommunications Carrier Conference Call
RHCD will hold two conference calls for telecommunications carriers to discuss Year 2 invoicing deadlines and to provide tips for completing the Year 3 Form 468. The calls will be held on Friday, October 13, 2000 at 12 PM (EST) and on Monday, October 16, 2000 at 3 PM (EST). If you would like to participate, contact Donna Faunce at 202-263-1619.
Terms for Six USAC Board of Directors Expire on December 31, 2000
The USAC Board of Directors represents the diverse stakeholders that participate
in the universal service program. The terms of the board are staggered and
six terms expire each year. USAC Board seats do not have term limits. Current
Board members can seek renomination from their stakeholder group. The USAC
By-Laws prescribe the process for nominating or renominating a representative
to the USAC Board. 
Read More
Programmatic Changes Reminder
The Universal Service Administrative Company has made several changes to the Rural Health Care web site and forms processing. All correspondence, including completed forms, should now be sent to:
Rural Health Care Division
P.O. Box 7016
Lawrence, KS 66044-7016
Or if a street address is needed:
Rural Health Care Division
c/o Mrs. Smith
3833 Greenway Drive Lawrence, KS 66044
New
Examples
For more information and examples of how to complete this year's Form 466 and 468, click here or click on the "Program Forms" section of the web site.
Important Information: Change of Address
The Universal Service Administrative Company is making several changes that will affect the Rural Health Care web site and forms processing. These changes will occur over the next several weeks, and should not affect the timely processing of RHCD forms. The first change will require that all correspondence, including completed forms, be mailed to a new location.
Effective June 24, 2000, all correspondence, including completed forms, should be sent to:
Rural Health Care Division
P.O. Box 7016
Lawrence, KS 66044-7016
For shipping companies needing a street address, please use:
Rural Health Care Division
c/o Mrs. Smith
3833 Greenway Drive
Lawrence, KS 66044
At the end of June, it will also be necessary to briefly close the Rural Health Care web site to transition to a new host. This will not change the web site address, which will continue to be http://www.rhc.universalservice.org. The web site will close at 12 noon on Wednesday, June 28, 2000 and will reopen on Friday, June 30, 2000 at 5 a.m. During the closure, you will still be able to call RHCD Customer Service at 1-800-229-5476; this number will remain the same after the transition.
We anticipate that the result of this small interruption will be increased efficiency in USAC's form processing operation. We look forward to continuing our work to support rural health care telecommunications and ask for your patience during this transition.
We have sent this announcement to RHCD's point of contact for all past and current program applicants, but we would appreciate your help in passing the word to other rural health care providers that we may have missed. We also want to remind all rural health care providers that we are now accepting applications (Form 465) for Funding Year 3 (July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001), and we invite you to apply online from our Program Froms section, or by calling customer service at 1-800-229-5476.
Thank you in advance for your patience. Please feel free to call customer service if you have questions or concerns.
Holiday Hours Announcement
The Rural Health Care Customer Service Support Center will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2000, in observance of Memorial Day. The Customer Service Support Center will resume normal operations on Tuesday, May 30 at 8:00 a.m. ET.
Important
Notice Year 2 Forms 465 Must be received by May 30, 2000
FCC rules governing the Rural Health Care Program require health care providers to post their request for services (Form 465) on the RHCD web site for 28 days to allow telecommunications carriers an opportunity to bid to provide the service.
Funding Year 2 of the Program ends on June 30, 2000. The last day RHCD will accept a Year 2 Form 465 for posting to the RHCD web site is May 30, 2000. In order for RHCD to post a Form 465, it must be properly completed - this means that RHCD must receive an original signed Form 465 by May 30 and that all fields in the Form are appropriately completed (i.e., original signature received, form dated, all appropriate Blocks and Lines filled in, etc).
Forms
466-A and 467 On-line
Form 466-A and Form 467 for Funding Year 3 are now available for downloading in Excel or PDF format. To download a form, click on the Program Forms icon under Funding Year 3 and then select Forms & Instructions. You may then print the form and its instructions or download a copy of the form in Excel or PDF format.
Training
Workshop
RHCD will conduct two additional training workshops during April for health care providers, telecommunications carriers, and others interested in learning more about telecommunications discounts available through the universal service support mechanism for rural health care providers.
The workshops will include an overview of the program and step-by-step instructions for completing the application process. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation. Information will be helpful to those who have previously filed applications as well as to new applicants.
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Wednesday, April 26, 2000 1:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Videoconference hosted by the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth
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Thursday, April 27, 2000 12:00 noon (Eastern Daylight Time)
Telephone Conference Call 30 lines available
You may also view a video broadcast of the RHCD presentation at the South Dakota 14th Annual Rural Health Care Conference in May. Details are provided below.
-
Tuesday, May 16, 2000
9:00 AM (Central Time)
Videoconference hosted in conjunction with the South Dakota 14th Annual Rural Health Care Conference
To register for the conference call or to reserve a port for one of the videoconferences, send an e-mail message to Donna Faunce at the Universal Service Administrative Company or call 202-263-1619 for more information.
Funding
Year 3
Rural Health Care Division (RHCD) began accepting applications for Funding Year 3 on March 30, 2000. Funding Year 3 begins on July 1, 2000 and ends on June 30, 2001. While many aspects of Funding Year 3 resemble Funding Year 2 (7/1/99 - 6/30/00), there are some notable changes:
- The program is mainly a mileage based discount program instead of a program that provides support for the difference between the urban and rural rate for eligible telecommunications services.
- The discount applies to all mileage charges (minus the mileage charges equal to the Standard Urban Distance (SUD)).
- The non-mileage urban/rural rate difference will be supported if evidence of a variance is properly documented by the applicant.
- The Per Location Funding Limit (PLFL) for service is eliminated.
- The Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) requirement is eliminated.
- The FCC forms have been simplified. Please make sure you use the forms corresponding to the appropriate funding year.
- There is a significant reduction in the number of calculations required to complete the forms.
- Under limited circumstances applicants who have eligible multi-year contracts may not need to post their Form 465 every year.
