Monday, June 22, 2020
Information and Resources for WALA Members
Membership Matters: A Weekly Dialogue with WALA
We invite WALA Members to engage in a weekly dialogue opportunity with WALA CEO Mike Pochowski.

When: Friday, June 26 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

To Participate via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81865286559 

These meetings will provide:
  • Recap of the week behind us – top items of relevance as they affect assisted living providers
  • Updates on advocacy initiatives around COVID-19, caregiver funding, workforce, etc.
  • Question and Answer opportunity

You can submit your questions in advance to WALA by Thursday at 5 p.m. via email info@ewala.org. There will also be opportunity for live Q&A.
COVID-19 Provider Relief Funding Deadlines Approaching
DHS CARES Act Funding Application Deadline: June 30th
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is accepting applications from specific types of health care providers (listed below) for $110 million of funding provided to the state under the federal Coronavirus aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

These funds will be used to make payments to offset lost revenues and expenditures facilities and services incurred during March, April, and May 2020, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers eligible to apply are:

Home and community-based service providers* that provide:
  • 1-2 bed Adult Family Homes
  • Day services
  • Home health
  • Personal care
  • Pre-vocational and supported employment
  • Respite care
  • Supportive home care
  • Daily living skills training for children

Assisted Living Facilities, including:
  • 3-4 Bed Adult Family Homes
  • Community-Based Resident Facilities (CBRFs)
  • Resident Care Apartment Complexes (RCACs)

Nursing Homes, including:
  • Skilled Nursing Facilities
  • Intermediate Care Facilities

Emergency Medical Service Agencies Clinics/Health Centers, including:
  • Rural Health Clinics
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers
  • Tribal Health Clinics
  • Free and Low Cost Clinics

* Only entities/organizations may apply for funding. Individuals such as those who are participant-hired workers or paid through a fiscal agent are not eligible.

The application for these funds will be available from June 5 to June 30. For more information on eligibility, the application, and the payment process, please visit the link below.
HHS Provider Relief Funds Application Deadline: July 20th
The federal government has announced that $15 billion in funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be made available to health care providers across the country who participate in Medicaid programs such as Wisconsin’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Providers should review and apply, as appropriate, for funding from HHS that was made available on June 10 to help providers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Eligible providers could receive at least 2% of gross revenue from patient care in relief funding.

Examples of providers serving Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries possibly eligible for this funding include pediatricians, obstetrician-gynecologists, dentists, opioid treatment and behavioral health providers, assisted living facilities, and other home- and community-based services providers.


WALA is currently recommending that providers consider the following information prior to visiting the portal:
  • Familiarize yourself with the process and application before submission
  • Carefully work through the FAQs, instructions and PDF worksheet, and embedded Excel workbook.
  • If you have questions, call the customer support hotline at (866) 569-3522
  • Consider that there are no re-do submissions. If you make an error, you will disqualify yourself.
  • Only start in the portal once you have verified the information and materials you completed offline

Providers have until July 20, 2020 to submit their application to HHS. 

Please note that national senior living association, Argentum, has informed WALA that HHS may implement a potential forthcoming separate relief fund that would take into consideration non-Medicaid revenue.  It is possible that money received now may make a provider ineligible for future funding, if it becomes available. WALA is awaiting additional clarification and will send it to our members as soon as possible.

In the interim, you can visit the CARES Act Provider Relief Funds FAQ page to view the most up-to-date information as it becomes available.

HHS is hosting two upcoming webinars that may be beneficial to providers:
Wisconsin Worker’s Compensation and Third-Party Liability for COVID-19
As an increasing number of businesses reopen and call their employees back to work, questions have arisen as to whether, and to what extent, an employer may be held financially responsible if an employee becomes ill.

Click below to read the issue brief, which addresses what an employer’s liability may be if an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to work. The issue brief also addresses whether the doctrine of third-party liability may be used by an employee to obtain payment from his or her employer if the employee is diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to work. 
WALA Congratulates The Cottages on Golden Pond & Memory Care on Achieving Diamond Accreditation!
Congratulations to the hard-working team at The Cottages on Golden Pond & The Cottages Memory Care in Shawano, WI for their dedication to achieving Accreditation status in WALA's Diamond Accreditation Program! The Cottages has the unique distinction of completing the first ever virtual accreditation. We recognize and appreciate all of the extra effort involved in preparing for a virtual experience in order to keep residents and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about The Cottages on Golden Pond & The Cottages Memory Care accreditation success here.

Contact WALA to find out how your community can benefit from the Diamond Accreditation Program!

WALA 2020 Conference Registration is Now Open
Thank You to Our 2020 Elite Business Sponsors