Avoiding a $200 Million Delay in Federal Funds For Rural Health Care in WV

In an urgent press release dated February 23^rd, the West Virginia Department of Health expressed “serious concern that continued delay in legislative spending authorization for the federally awarded Rural Health Transformation Program puts critical rural health improvements and future federal funding at risk.”

A concerned Dr. Arvin Singh, the Secretary of Health for West Virginia, emphasized that they had worked “extremely hard” to secure the nearly 200-million-dollar federal award. It was awarded to the state by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services after they approved West Virginia’s detailed “multi-pillar transformation application. He explained that the legislature cannot make material changes to the scope, budget categories, program structure or alter the program without prior approval of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The federal award requires that the state approve the federal plan including its defined milestones, timelines and guardrails exactly as it was federally approved without any delays or changes that may jeopardize the state meeting those federal requirements and timelines.

Singh said such delays or changes could result in the risk of lost time, lost momentum, and potentially loss of the entire opportunity for our rural communities as well as endangering future federal rural healthcare funding opportunities.

The press release goes on to say that neighboring states are advancing similar rural modernization efforts in telehealth, workforce recruitment, and health technology infrastructure amidst a competitive vendor and workforce marketplace. But here, in addition to potentially reducing the state’s ability to secure partners for rural West Virginians, even delay would mean telehealth expansion would launch later, workforce recruitment incentives would be delayed, and rural providers would have to wait longer for support.

While remaining committed to transparency, compliance with West Virginia law, and to the strict adherence to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Health urges timely legislative authorization which is consistent with the federally approved Rural Health Transformation Program so that West Virginia can protect the 200 million dollars already awarded and begin implementing the initiatives that will help to transform the delivery of rural healthcare in the state.