The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that it is proposing to eliminate copayments for all VA telehealth services and establish a grant program to fund designated VA telehealth access points in non-VA facilities, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities.

These proposed changes would advance VA and the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to lower costs and expand access to care for all those who served. The proposed grant program, called Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations (ATLAS), would provide funding to organizations — including nonprofits and private businesses — to offer Veterans comfortable, private spaces equipped with high-speed internet access and the technology to meet with VA providers remotely. Grants would also provide designated funding to train on-site personnel to support the program.

These proposed changes are part of VA’s ongoing efforts to expand access to VA health care — at a time when VA care is outperforming non-VA care, earning Veteran trust at record rates, and delivering more appointments than ever before. In September, VA announced the availability of tele-emergency care nationwide, an important step in increasing timely access to emergency care. This year, VA also began waiving Veterans’ copays for their first three outpatient mental health care visits of each year, decreased wait times for new patient appointments to primary care and mental health, and expanded offerings of night and weekend clinics and increased the number of Veterans scheduled into daily clinic schedules.

“Waiving copays for telehealth services and launching this grant program are both major steps forward in ensuring Veterans can access health care where and when they need it,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “VA is the best and most affordable care in America for Veterans — with these steps, we can make it easier for Veterans to access their earned VA health care.”

The rulemaking can be viewed in the Federal Register under public inspection, and will be published and open for a comment period (findable by searching for the rule on VA’s Federal Register webpage). VA anticipates a notice of funding opportunity for this grant program to be published following publication of the final rule.

For more information about VA telehealth, visit the VA Telehealth Services website.

To view the proposal on the Federal Register, visit Federal Register :: Telehealth Grant Program

Pennie, Pennsylvania’s Health Insurance Exchange has announced that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients can enroll in health coverage through Pennie. See below for details.

What is happening?

• Effective, November 1, 2024, DACA recipients will no longer be excluded from the definition of lawfully present and, assuming they meet all other eligibility requirements, will be eligible to enroll in health coverage through Pennie and receive financial savings.
• A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) will begin November 1, 2024, allowing DACA recipients 60 days to enroll in coverage through Pennie. When enrolling, the SEP “Gain of Eligible Immigration Status” should be used.
• DACA recipients who enroll in Pennie in November will have a coverage effective date of December 1, 2024.   DACA recipients who enroll in Pennie in December will have a coverage effective date of January 1, 2025.

 How You Can Help:

• When DACA recipients come to enroll in Medicaid coverage and denied due to their status, encourage them to go to Pennie where they can find quality and affordable health coverage at visit pennie.com.
  • DACA recipients will be denied Medicaid, the updated eligibility requirements only apply to State Based Health Insurance Marketplaces like Pennie
• IMPORTANT NOTE:  These recipients will not be automatically transferred to Pennie if/when found ineligible for Medicaid.
• For questions, call Pennie Customer Service at +1-844-844-8040

The USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Telecommunications Program is excited to announce the launch of the new Public Searchable Map Database!

This new resource provides the public a fully searchable database that contains information on all retail broadband projects provided assistance, or for which assistance was sought, in the United States, US Territories, and Compacts of Free Association (COFA) sovereign states under the RUS Telecommunications Program.

We encourage you to visit the Public Searchable Map Database and start exploring its functionality, including the advanced Search Filters and downloadable Results Table.

Please Note: The Public Searchable Map Database will be replacing the Telecommunications Program Funded Service Areas Map and the ReConnect Proposed and Approved Projects Map. Any applications that are not approved for funding will be removed from the Public Searchable Map Database.

Please submit any questions using the Contact Us Form.

ARC is seeking proposals from organizations, including non-profits, institutions of higher education, and other stakeholders to work in partnership with the ARC Academies & Institutes team to execute the Appalachian Leadership Institute (ALI), a leadership development program for people who live and/or work in Appalachian and are passionate about helping their communities thrive.

Launched in 2019, the Appalachian Leadership Institute is a leadership training opportunity that equips Appalachian community leaders to use economic development as a tool to drive positive change. Since its launch, ALI has trained approximately 200 Appalachian leaders.

ALI is a collaborative effort between the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Organization that serves as our curriculum partner. The selected organization will provide expertise on content and curriculum planning under the leadership and approval of ARC. More information on the breakdown of roles and responsibilities can be found in the RFP.

Proposals must describe the strategy for promoting and implementing action-oriented leadership in the Appalachian Region, to include, but not be limited to, the following major components under the ALI umbrella:

• A program aimed at 40 leaders from Appalachia’s public, private, and non-profit sectors.
• Curriculum and sessions focused on ARC’s five investment areas.
• Case study work that reflects both the opportunities and challenges in the region.
• Proposed areas of training in leadership skills development.
• Alumni Network Programming
  • Curriculum and sessions that build upon the core curriculum of the program
  • Proposed strategy for network building and continued growth

Key dates are outlined below. If you have any questions, please reach out to Academies & Institutes Program Manager Jessica Mosley at leadershipRFP@arc.gov.

RFP open date: November 7, 2024
Questions due: December 13, 2024
Answers posted on arc.gov: December 19, 2024
Proposal due date: January 10, 2025
Interviews: February 24-28, 2025
Selection date: March 10, 2025
Contract period: August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026

In an effort to draw attention to the wide range of issues that impact rural health, Gov. Josh Shapiro has declared November 18-22, 2024, as Rural Health Week in Pennsylvania at the request of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association (PRHA) and the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH).

Gov. Shapiro made the proclamation to promote awareness of the full range of issues that impact rural health care throughout the Commonwealth and the health status of rural Pennsylvanians. Nationally, Pennsylvania ranks as one of the states with the highest number of rural residents, with 26 percent of Pennsylvanians residing in rural areas. In recognition of Pennsylvania’s diverse rural needs, the Commonwealth has supported the development of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, and other agencies and initiatives to address the needs of rural Pennsylvanians.

The week encompasses November 21, which is National Rural Health Day, established in 2011 by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) to showcase rural America; increase awareness of rural health issues; and promote the efforts of NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) and others in addressing those issues.

“Nearly 59.5 million Americans, including 3.4 million Pennsylvanians, live in rural communities,” said Lisa Davis, PORH director and outreach associate professor of health policy and administration at Penn State. “These small towns and communities continue to be fueled by the creative energy of citizens who step forward to provide a wealth of products, resources, and services.

Rural communities also face unique health care concerns: a lack of providers; accessibility issues, particularly in terms of transportation and technology; and affordability issues as the result of larger percentages of uninsured and underinsured citizens and greater out-of-pocket health costs. Rural hospitals and health care providers, which frequently are the economic backbone of the communities they serve, deserve special consideration so that they can continue to provide high-quality services and meet the needs of rural residents.”

To celebrate the work being done to achieve health care access and equity in Pennsylvania, PORH will present Pennsylvania Rural Health Awards during virtual ceremonies across rural Pennsylvania.

PORH was established in 1991 to enhance the health status of rural Pennsylvanians and strengthen the delivery and quality of care in the communities in which they live. Each year, the organization presents awards to recognize rural health programs and individuals who have made substantial contributions to rural health in Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, visit porh.psu.edu.

PRHA is dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of Pennsylvania’s rural citizens and communities. Through the combined efforts of individuals, organizations, professionals, and community leaders, the Association is a collective voice for rural health issues and a conduit for information and resources. More information can be found at paruralhealth.org.

Scheduled for December 12, 2024! This free, virtual conference hosted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will convene change makers from the healthcare community and federal government to share new ideas, lessons learned, and best practices to reduce administrative burden and strengthen access to quality care.

Click here for more information and to register.