- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
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- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
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This Rural Hospital Closed Amid COVID. Now It’s Back on Its Feet
From Becker’s Financial Management
Williamson (W.Va.) Memorial Hospital exemplifies a rare success story in today’s challenging healthcare environment.
As the only hospital in Mingo County, it provides healthcare services in a rural area and, as CEO Tim Hatfield puts it, “is seen as a beacon on the hill of hope for our community and region.”
It closed in April 2020 but reopened June 25 under the management of the Williamson Health and Wellness Center.
In conversation with Becker’s, Mr. Hatfield detailed the hospital’s reopening journey and shared future plans for services.
He noted that the June opening of the 76-bed facility has been years in the making, and it began with Williamson Health and Wellness Center CEO C. Donovan “Dino” Beckett, DO, who worked with the board to purchase the hospital.
“The vision was to have an integrated healthcare system,” Mr. Hatfield said.
“In our clinics we have today we have medicine, occupational health, behavioral health, dentistry and optometry. We have a mobile unit that we just received not that long ago, that’s on the road taking care of folks. We have an integration into the school systems with telehealth here in Mingo County, W.Va. So, the only piece that was missing from having a fully integrated healthcare system was the hospital.”
So, the Williamson Health and Wellness Center board and Dr. Beckett led a push to purchase the hospital out of bankruptcy, at a cost of about $3 million.
“The intent was to actually turn the hospital around under new leadership and ownership in less than 30 days and be back open again,” Mr. Hatfield said.
But the pandemic and needed facility repairs got in the way of those plans. The hospital opened in 1988, and around the beginning of the pandemic, all the sewage pipes in the building collapsed.
“The whole first floor had to be dug up — eight feet deep, four feet wide. So what was going to be a 30-day closure and reopening didn’t happen,” Mr. Hatfield said.
“Now you’re in the middle of COVID, so you can’t find folks that want to work, are afraid to work, and you can’t get equipment or supplies in. At the same time, the Williamson Health and Wellness Center took out a couple of personal loans to reinvest close to $16 million, with a little help from the state of Kentucky and some help from [Washington] D.C., to reinvest in the hospital. They completely gutted out the patient rooms and redid them. They remodeled the entire first floor, which consists of the doctor’s office that handles family medicine, as well as a podiatrist, X-ray, lab, RT and the cafeteria. Everything was completely redone over the last four-plus years.”
In January, Mr. Hatfield took the helm, and the hospital successfully applied with CMS to enroll in Medicare and Medicaid. In June, Williamson Memorial opened up for inpatient care. The hospital underwent a survey by the West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification and was recommended to CMS for accreditation following this survey. Williamson Memorial received its Medicare billing number on Sept. 28. Shortly thereafter, it received its Medicaid billing number.
“I found out we had just completed our state survey and our licensure survey, and it was all very positive, it was very emotional. I had an opportunity with our directors — we have a safety meeting every morning. I’m very transparent. I’m like, ‘Look, we just finished our survey. Let me tell you what the results were,'” he said.
“And I teared up because, not me, but as a team — the administrative team here, the board and Dr. Beckett — has invested so much time, so much energy, and so many resources from a financial standpoint. Seeing a hospital open becomes a little overwhelming when you think, ‘Wow, we were able to accomplish that.'”
Mr. Hatfield acknowledged that getting to that point — essentially a four-year process — was not always easy and required laying groundwork.
“It was already in place and the infrastructure was there,” he said. “It was just about taking the hospital to the next level.”
Early in the reopening process, there was an area called the “war room.” Members of the C-suite met weekly in a conference room, with three copies of big post-it sheets around the room.
“Each week, we’d color-code what still needed to be done, what was taken care of, and who was responsible for it,” Mr. Hatfield said. “Thirty days before June 25, we were down to one sheet on the wall, and that was a clear sign we were accomplishing what we needed.”
Today, the hospital has a clinic on site for medicine as well as podiatry, which is tied to Williamson Health and Wellness Center, a federally qualified health center. Williamson Memorial admits patients and provides respiratory, inpatient and outpatient care, along with radiology and lab services.
To date, the hospital has initially employed 52 healthcare professionals with an estimated annual payroll of more than $2.4 million. Of the 52 workers, about 65% worked at the hospital before it faced closure in 2020.
This “is great because, when the hospital closed, they had to leave the area for jobs — some 45 minutes to two hours away,” Mr. Hatfield said. “Now they get to come back home and take care of patients here.”
Mr. Hatfield said the hospital also recently hired an emergency room physician director, who will begin in the role Nov. 1, with an anticipated ER opening date in January.
“The last phase of the process is that we have applied — we’ve actually submitted our plans to the state of West Virginia for review — on our OR suite,” he added. “We have a $3 million OR project that will consist of two OR suites and a scoping room, along with a federal recovery room and beds. From start to finish, that will complete the last piece we’re trying to get in place.”
He also sees the potential of the hospital being a catalyst to turn around some of the migration of jobs away from the county.
“For years, mining was the main source of income for most individuals in this community, and there aren’t that many coal mines left,” he said. “So it’s not just about the hope of creating good jobs and patient access.”
“The bigger vision is that we become a stimulus to create more thought processes, to create more jobs that can come alongside healthcare and education. At the same time, we want to see a movement of people who really want to move into rural Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. We’re on the border of Kentucky, so they can understand the quality of life, the culture, and the safety of building relationships.”
New Toolkit Available on Talking to Workers, Understanding the Economy
Building trust. Removing bias. Empowering people to share their experiences.
These are just three things that come from using community-engaged research practices. They are also among the reasons why the Federal Reserve chose these methods to look beyond the numbers to understand the experiences and motivations of workers without a four-year degree in a post-pandemic labor market.
A new toolkit offers insights on using community-engaged research principles gleaned from the Worker Voices Project and shows how others can use them in their own work.
More Mobile Clinics Are Bringing Long-Acting Birth Control to Rural Areas
Twice a month, a 40-foot-long truck transformed into a mobile clinic travels the Rio Grande Valley to provide rural Texans with women’s health care, including birth control.
The clinic, called the UniMóvil, is part of the Healthy Mujeres program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.
The U.S. has about 3,000 mobile health programs. But Saul Rivas, an OB-GYN, said he wasn’t aware of any that shared the specific mission of Healthy Mujeres when he helped launch the initiative in 2017. “Mujeres” means “women” in Spanish.
It’s now part of a small but growing number of mobile programs aimed at increasing rural access to women’s health services, including long-acting reversible contraception.
There are two kinds of these highly effective methods: intrauterine devices, known as IUDs, and hormonal implants inserted into the upper arm. These birth control options can be especially difficult to obtain — or have removed — in rural areas.
“Women who want to prevent an unintended pregnancy should have whatever works best for them,” said Kelly Conroy, senior director of mobile and maternal health programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
The school is launching a mobile women’s health and contraception program in rural parts of the state this month.
Rural areas have disproportionately fewer doctors, including OB-GYNs, than urban areas. And rural providers may not be able to afford to stock long-acting birth control devices or may not be trained in administering them, program leaders say.
Mobile clinics help shrink that gap in rural care, but they can be challenging to operate, said Elizabeth Jones, a senior director at the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association.
Money is the greatest obstacle, Jones said. The Texas program costs up to $400,000 a year. A 2020 study of 173 mobile clinics found they cost an average of more than $630,000 a year. Mobile dental programs were the most expensive, averaging more than $1 million.
While many programs launch with the help of grants, they can be difficult to sustain, especially with over a decade of decreased or stagnant funding to Title X, a federal money stream that helps low-income people receive family planning services.
For example, a mobile contraception program serving rural Pennsylvania lasted less than three years before closing in 2023. It shut down after losing federal funding, said a spokesperson for the clinic that ran it.
Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Approves $45M for High-Speed Internet in Public Facilities
The Multi-Purpose Community Facilities program grants — approved for 49 projects in 26 counties — will give people free, digital access in public places like schools, local libraries, and community health centers.
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) Executive Director Brandon Carson announced the approval of $45 million in Multi-Purpose Community Facilities grant funding to 49 projects in 26 counties across Pennsylvania. This funding will support key projects in local communities and help connect Pennsylvanians to the internet at places like a primary care health center in Allegheny County, affordable housing in Delaware County, and a public library in Northumberland County.
The PBDA Board of Directors approved the grants to eligible entities with public-facing facilities such as schools, local libraries, and community health centers to make improvements that will ensure people have free access to reliable, high-speed internet.
Today’s approval of the Multi-Purpose Community Facilities grants will help ensure that Pennsylvanians can access the resources they need to further their education, advance career opportunities, and utilize telemedicine options no matter where they live.
“Pennsylvania is leading the way when it comes to driving out these federal dollars to ensure more people have access to the internet. By expanding access to affordable, high-speed internet to every Pennsylvanian, we can create real opportunities for our students, our businesses, and our communities to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Thanks to this historic investment from the federal government, my Administration has the resources to work with our community partners across the Commonwealth to bring reliable internet at high speeds and for affordable prices to every corner and every community in Pennsylvania — and we’ll continue to do that work effectively and efficiently.”
“Investing in public facilities improvements is an essential step in ensuring Pennsylvanians have access to reliable, high-speed internet across the Commonwealth,” said Executive Director Carson. “Public places like our libraries, health centers, and non-profit organizations are the fabric of our communities and this funding will help them better serve Pennsylvanians.”
The Multi-Purpose Community Facilities program was established by the PBDA utilizing a portion of the $279 million in Capital Projects Funds (CPF) awarded to Pennsylvania in June 2022 under the American Rescue Plan Act.
Eligible applicants for funding included, but weren’t limited to, schools, libraries, recreation centers, community health centers, non-profit organizations, municipalities, and local government institutions. The program requires projects be for construction or improvements to full-service community buildings, structures, and public spaces that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring. The physical structure must also be available year-round to the public.
A complete listing of the grants approved by the PBDA Board of Directors can be found here and includes:
$2,000,000 to Primary Care Health Services Inc. in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
The new 44,112-square-foot Wilford A. Payne Medical Center and office building will be constructed on a surface parking lot adjacent to the current facility. It will become the most significant anchor for the redevelopment of the Homewood community — accommodating significant growth in patient services and providing publicly accessible internet.
$1,500,000 to the Chester Housing Authority in Chester County
The proposed project will launch a Chester e-Health Center to address the health disparities of seniors, lack of access to technology for employment and healthcare, improve access to e-learning training and job boards which are barriers to success for residents in the City of Chester.
$1,617,435 to Fox Township in Elk County
The township is planning to construct a History and Humanities Center to serve Fox Township and surrounding communities. The center will feature, among other things, a public cybercafe and Wi-Fi Hot spot for the public.
$522,205 to Allentown School District in Lehigh County
The Family and Community Engagement & Welcome Center project involves providing a 3,650-square-foot area for central registration for Allentown School District students and families. The space will accommodate activities aimed at creating a fast and easy registration process where students are directly connected to the services they need, including workforce and health monitoring for the public.
$379,000 to the Ralpho Township Public Library in Northumberland County
This project entails the renovation and adaptation of community space within the library. The space will be equipped with amenities such as public computers and privacy pods to support the public’s ability to engage in internet enabled workforce, education, and health monitoring activities.
$787,323 to Liberty Township in Susquehanna County
This project involves the rehabilitation of a public venue, Grange Hall, to enable Liberty Township to establish a centralized hub for the community and address the public’s critical need for broadband access to essential services.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is making progress across the country to ensure Americans have access to affordable high-speed internet,” said U.S. Deputy of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “With these investments in libraries and other community facilities, families in Pennsylvania will gain access to critical services like health care and education.”
In addition to approving the Multi-Purpose Community Facilities funding, under the Shapiro Administration the PBDA has also:
- Announced in March 2024 that Pennsylvania secured a$20 million federal investment to provide laptops for distribution to schools, libraries, municipalities, workforce training organizations, and other non-profits who can make them available to individuals that lack the technology needed to access the internet through American Rescue Plan Capital Projects Funding. On June 18, 2024, the PBDA announced it was accepting applications for the funding.
- Governor Shapiro and Executive Director Carson announced in June 2023 the Commonwealth will receive more than$1.16 billion in federal funding to expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas to make sure every Pennsylvanian has access to affordable, high-speed internet. The funding is coming to Pennsylvania through the federal BEAD Program and is part of President Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative.
- The Shapiro Administration is also investing $204 million in funding through the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Program to connect unserved and underserved areas.
Visit the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority’s website to learn more about its work to close the digital divide in the Commonwealth.
Roadside Childbirth, Health Care Worries Spur Rural Pennsylvania County in Search for Options
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An emergency childbirth on the side of Route 219 in Elk County, four months after the closing of the maternity unit at the nearest hospital, is stoking health care worries in the sparsely populated county, 2½ hours northeast of Pittsburgh.
Ridgway Ambulance Corp. paramedic Missy Lecker, 54, and her crew delivered a healthy baby girl on the side of the road Sept. 24, when it became clear they were not going to make it to Penn Highlands Healthcare’s maternity hospital in Clearfield County, about 29 miles from where the call was received.
“She was in labor,” Ms. Lecker said about the 27-year-old mother. “Her water had broken.”
Penn Highlands, which reported an operating loss of $36.4 million for the year ending June 30, closed the maternity unit at its St. Marys hospital in May.
“Unfortunately, this is becoming way too commonplace with the closure of Penn Highlands Elk maternity,” the ambulance service posted on its Facebook page. Ms. Lecker declined further comment.
A Penn Highlands spokeswoman said the hospital system had no plans to reopen the closed unit at the St. Marys hospital or create a freestanding birthing center alternative for moms-to-be.
Operating losses for the eight-hospital, DuBois-based system for fiscal years ending June 30 in 2023 and 2024 totaled $68.7 million, spurring a Fitch Ratings bond issuer default and revenue bond ratings cut to BBB from A-minus in August.
Elk County is part of a six-county swath of the state — twice the size of Delaware — that has no hospital maternity care, which concerns Ridgway Borough Council member Zack Pontious, who has met with Penn Highlands officials to discuss its decision to end obstetrics services at the local hospital.
“A more vibrant, community-minded health care delivery system delivers high-quality care, even for the most basic medical needs,” he said. “We do not have that in Elk County today.”
In response, a group of local residents and business owners have formed the Elk County HealthCare Coalition, with the aim of creating an independent, countywide authority that would find ways of enhancing health care services. The county commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the proposal to create the Elk County Health Care Authority on Oct. 11.
“It did seem the idea had merit,” Elk County Commissioner Matthew G. Quesenberry said. “It’s an idea worth pursuing. They’ve got their facts together.”
The Penn Highlands spokeswoman said the health care system would continue consulting with county commissioners on the creation of the authority, but said it was premature to say whether the discussions would result in a partnership.
Elk County has a population of just 31,000, smaller than some Pittsburgh-area townships, which includes 4,500 women between the childbearing ages of 15 and 44, according to the U.S. Census.
Rural residents generally face poorer health outcomes from cancer, heart problems and other chronic diseases while rural hospitals often face bigger fiscal challenges than their urban counterparts, according to KFF Health News, a San Francisco nonprofit.
Rural health care providers often face bigger fiscal challenges than their urban counterparts, according to KFF, while studies have shown wide disparities in longevity and how well patients do in recovering from chronic diseases, depending on whether they live in rural or urban areas.
Between 2010 and 2019, 114 rural hospitals eliminated inpatient services or closed altogether while others cut specific service lines, such as obstetrics. In 2019, the year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, median operating margins at rural hospitals were 1.5%, which compared to 5.2% among other hospitals.
In addition to maternity care, Mr. Pontious said a health care authority could try to find physicians and other partners and solutions for a variety of health care issues in the county, including expanding primary care.
“We hear this mantra that rural health care doesn’t work,” Mr. Pontious said. “What’s interesting is that an independent authority could find creative ways to fill a number of health care gaps in the county.”
“Everything is on the table,” he said. “The problem is so big.”
Free Print and Electronic Oral Health Materials Available
Do you know of any organizations that would benefit from free electronic and print oral health materials? Please share information about the PCOH Request Materials Page. We have nearly 50 resources available on topics such as general oral health education, children’s health. fluoride, workforce, tobacco and nicotine, HPV prevention, and older adults. Materials include flyers, brochures, posters, postcards, stickers, and magnets. We have a few resources in Spanish and Swahili as well. Please allow 2-3 weeks for order processing and shipping.
Pennsylvania Maternal Health Strategic Plan Survey Open for Input!
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is taking action against the state’s high maternal mortality rate through the development of a statewide Maternal Health Strategic Plan. They are looking to learn more about what people experience and what needs they have before, during, and/or after a pregnancy, or when receiving maternal health care such as check-ups and preventive services. This survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and all questions are optional.
The survey closes on November 4th.
HRSA Awards Nearly $19 Million to Help States Improve Maternal Health
Funding supports the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis by investing in innovative state-based strategies
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced nearly $19 million in awards to 15 states to identify and implement innovative strategies to address the maternal health crisis. HRSA Deputy Administrator Jordan Grossman, joined by Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and Co-chair of the bipartisan Maternity Care Caucus, announced these awards in Chicago, IL as part of HRSA’s latest state Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative convening.
HRSA announced the availability of this funding in December 2023 at a White House roundtable on innovation in maternal health convened by the Office of the Vice President Kamala Harris and the Domestic Policy Council in support of the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis.
“Supporting community solutions to the maternal mortality crisis means listening to moms and women with lived experience,” said HRSA Deputy Administrator Grossman. “At the Health Resources and Services Administration, we are proud to invest in our State Maternal Health Task Force initiative to create community tables across the country that are innovating and deploying community-driven solutions and strategies to advance women’s health.”
“Our nation’s crisis of maternal mortality requires urgent action. Pregnancy and birth should be one of the happiest moments for a family, but too many moms and women are suffering,” said Rep. Kelly. “I’m grateful to HRSA for elevating this conversation and for their efforts to improve maternal health outcomes in Illinois and nationwide. Together, we will ensure that every woman receives the care, support, and resources she deserves.”
State Maternal Health Innovation programs identify the key drivers of maternal mortality in their state, develop strategies and implement new interventions to address these issues tailored to their state’s needs. As part of this program, HRSA also funds State Maternal Health Task Forces that bring together health care providers, policymakers, patients, payers, and other stakeholders to develop shared solutions specific to their state’s needs and to better support pregnant women and new moms.
State Maternal Health Innovations programs have implemented a broad range of interventions to address maternal health challenges in their individual states. Examples of these interventions include early identification and treatment of hypertension to reduce preeclampsia and other risks, providing mobile simulation trainings to prepare health care providers for a range of adverse labor events, expanding access to trainings to rural and frontier hospitals that do not have a dedicated obstetrics department, and creating resources to improve first responders’ ability to respond to patients with substance use disorder during and after pregnancy.
This funding is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to improve maternal health and supports HRSA’s ongoing initiative to reduce maternal mortality and health disparities. HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative aims to accelerate HRSA’s efforts to improve maternal health outcomes in partnership with women, grant recipients, community organizations, and state and local officials nationwide. Other key actions HRSA has taken to improve maternal health include:
- Launching the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (833-TLC-MAMA) in 2022. The hotline provides 24/7 emotional and mental health support via call or text to expectant and new mothers and their families.
- Expanding Home Visiting services. HRSA recently awarded over $440 million in funding to expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services for eligible families across the country. Through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, local organizations can provide home visits from nurses, social workers, and other trained health workers who work with families to improve maternal and child health, child development and school readiness.
- Expanding Healthy Start services. HRSA recently invested $105 million in community-based organizations to improve maternal and infant health across the country through Healthy Start. Healthy Start funding will better support moms and babies to improve health in communities experiencing high disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.
- Growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce, including doulas. HRSA has increased the number of obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs), nurses, midwives, doulas, and community health workers, especially in places without them, through grants, scholarships and loan repayment. For example, HRSA launched new programs to train more nurse midwifes who reflect the communities they serve, train and deploy more community-based doulas, and support the training of more nurse practitioners with a focus on maternal health, including in underserved and rural areas.
- Investing in new community health center efforts to address maternal health disparities. HRSA invested more than $65 million in 35 HRSA-funded health centers across the country to implement innovative approaches to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities for patients at highest risk.
- Supporting maternal health care in rural communities. HRSA funds the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) Program to increase access to maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities and improve health outcomes for mothers and infants. HRSA also awarded nearly $9 million over four years to five organizations to expand access to and coordinate health care services before, during, and after pregnancy in rural communities in the South.
For a complete list of State MHI awards, visit: https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/state-mhi/awards
See News & Announcements on HRSA.gov.
USDA Invests in Rural Communities to Lower Energy Costs, Create Jobs in 34 States
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is partnering with farmers and small businesses to expand access to clean energy and lower energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
“As drivers of our economy, farmers and rural business owners deserve affordable energy,” Deputy Secretary Torres Small said. “That’s why, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda, I’m proud to announce an additional $104 million in REAP loans and grants that will lower energy costs for farmers and small business and help them expand their operations, all while tackling climate change.”
USDA is investing $104 million in loans and grants that will support over 300 clean energy projects in 34 states. Many of the projects are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis. The projects also advance President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle out and the bottom up.
You can view the complete news release on our website.
USDA Now Accepting Applications for Rural Energy for America Program
USDA Rural Development is now accepting applications for the Rural Energy for America Program. This program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. The Federal Register document will be posted on the program website once it is published.
The Rural Energy for America Program helps increase American energy independence by increasing the private sector supply of renewable energy and decreasing the demand for energy through energy efficiency improvements. Over time, these investments can also help lower the cost of energy for small businesses and agricultural producers. The loan guarantee percentage is published annually in a Federal Register notice. REAP loans approved in Fiscal Year 2024 will receive an 80 percent guarantee. REAP loans approved in Fiscal Year 2025 will receive an 80 percent guarantee.
To apply for this REAP funding, please visit the Rural Energy for America Program page at Rural Development’s website. You can also find eligibility requirements, loan terms, and other frequently asked questions at this page. Also, be sure to follow USDA Rural Development’s Facebook page for updates.