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August 13, 2026
What's New
FORHP Webinar: Planning with Purpose – Thursday, August 20th at 2:00 pm Eastern. Explore how FORHP's Rural Health Network Development Planning Program helps communities build sustainable health care networks through collaboration and strategic planning. Hear from former grantees as they share lessons learned and practical strategies for strengthening partnerships, building infrastructure, and maximizing the impact of a Network Planning grant. Registration is required and free.
The Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center Published the Interstate Licensing Compacts 2026 Overview Resource. The Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center (gpTRAC), funded by HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, released a new Interstate Licensing Compacts 2026 Overview. The resource summarizes major healthcare-related interstate licensure compacts for the six states in the Great Plains service area as of July 2026, including how each compact works, how eligible providers can participate, and its current activation status. Find resources for your region at The National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers. For additional information about healthcare licensure requirements and interstate compacts, visit Telehealth.HHS.gov/licensure.
Reimagining Rural Maternal and Child Health. A HRSA-funded publication from the National Governors Association reports on six states (Delaware, Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, and North Carolina) making significant investments in maternal and child health through funding from CMS’s Rural Health Transformation Program. Focus areas include workforce recruitment and retention, technology and regional hubs, and integrated care models.
CCBHCs Are Expanding Access to Rural Areas. That’s one of the findings in a newly released report on the impact of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. A federal program that provides community-level services for mental health and substance use disorder for anyone who requests it – regardless of their ability to pay – the CCHBC initiative is operated through an HHS partnership across the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. In calendar year 2025, rural CCBHCs reported serving 552,214 individuals, making a 46.2 percent increase in the number of CCBHC clients since becoming a CCBHC.
Funding and Opportunities
ACF Community Economic Development Projects – September 8. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) makes grants to Community Development Corporations – nonprofits that typically include community members in decision-making – to create and expand businesses and full-time employment opportunities in communities with high unemployment. Priority points will be given to projects in rural communities and counties with persistent poverty.
USDA Rural Development: Rural Housing Preservation Grants – September 8. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award a total of $8,300,000 for the repair and rehabilitation of rural housing units. The funding does not go directly to individual homeowners but is provided to sponsoring organizations – state and local governments, federally recognized Tribes, and nonprofit organizations – that will repair or rehabilitate housing owned or occupied by low- and very-low-income rural citizens. Several FORHP-funded studies found that housing directly correlates with health outcomes: rural areas have, on average, older and poorer quality housing stock, which may be perpetuating rural/urban health disparities. According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, most Rural Development program funding from 2000 through 2024 was dedicated to single family housing. Find a full listing of Rural Development programs on the USDA website, and see our Ongoing Opportunities section below for health-related funding, including:
Policy Updates
Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov.
CMS Finalizes Expansion of CJR Model. As part of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a nationwide expansion of the existing Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model. The expanded model, called CJR-X, will be a mandatory model starting January 1, 2028, for hospitals paid under the IPPS that perform lower extremity joint replacement procedures. Further information can be found in the IPPS Final Rule in the Federal Register.
CMS Releases CY 2026 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Guide for Hospitals and CAHs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a guide outlining participation, measure, scoring, certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT), and data submission requirements for eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program. Hospitals and CAHs must report data for a continuous, self-selected 180-day EHR reporting period and submit web-based measure data and electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data through the Hospital Quality Reporting Secure Portal between January 1 and March 1, 2027; eCQM submissions are due by March 1. Participants must earn at least 80 points, receive a nonzero score on every required measure, and submit eight eCQMs—five CMS-selected measures and three self-selected measures—for all four quarters of CY 2026. Although CAHs are not required to participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, they must meet the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program’s eCQM requirements. CAHs that do not successfully meet program requirements may have Medicare reimbursement reduced from 101 percent to 100 percent of reasonable costs for their FY 2026 cost reporting period. Hospitals and CAHs experiencing significant hardship may apply for an exception from the downward payment adjustment for reasons including insufficient internet connectivity, extreme and uncontrollable circumstances, certain vendor or CEHRT issues, or decertified EHR technology.
Resource of the Week
Serving Older Veterans: Dementia Caregiver Video Series. The Veterans Health Association (VHA) Office of Rural Health created this series for the family caregivers of veterans of dementia. Features of the series include issues pertaining to medication management, pain management, financial mismanagement, and safety risks.
Approaching Deadlines
Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods Program – August 6
HRSA Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program – August 6
ACF Child Abuse Prevention in Migrant and Tribal Communities – August 7
ACF Regional Partnership Grants – August 7
HUD Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Community Selection – August 10
USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network – August 10
SAMHSA Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program – August 11
CMS Essential Community Providers - Apply or Renew – August 12
HRSA Delta States Rural Development Network Program – August 12New Request for Information to Support Executive Order (EO) 14401, “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness” – Comment by August 13
Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project – August 14
USDA Native Community Development Financial Institution Relending Demonstration Program – August 14
Final Rule: Criteria for Determining Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas – Effective August 15
HHS Request for Comment: National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease – Comment by August 15
CMS Issues Final Rule to Strengthen Oversight of Health Care Accrediting Organizations – Comment by August 17
CMS Proposes to Codify Policies under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program – Comment by August 17
Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program – Required Letters of Intent August 18
Federal Transit Administration/Univ of Minnesota Mobility, Access, and Transportation Insecurity Program – Round 3 – Letters of Intent August 21
CMS Releases 2027 End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule – Comment by August 24
DOT Tribal Transit Competitive Program – August 25
ACF Native American Programs: Economic Advancement Grants for Local Empowerment (EAGLE) – August 27
CMS Seeks Input on the CY 2027 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Payment System Proposed Rule – Comment by August 31
HUD Older Adults Home Modification Grant Program – August 31
Medicare Proposes Changes to Home Health Program – Comment by August 31
DOJ Office of Violence Against Women Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program – September 1
DOJ Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program – September 1
ACF Community Economic Development Projects – September 8
USDA Rural Development: Rural Housing Preservation Grants – September 8
CMS Proposes Updates to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payments for Calendar Year 2027 – Comment by September 14
CMS Proposes Updates to Medicare Shared Savings Program for Calendar Year 2027 – Comment by September 14
DOJ Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life – September 14
NTIA Native Entities Grant Program – September 17
NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program – September 17
CMS Issues Draft Guidance for 2028 Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Effectuation – Comment by September 18
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Seeks Input on Strategic Plan – Comment by September 21
USDA Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program – September 30
CMS Proposes to Amend Medicaid Provider Tax Standards – Comment by September 21
DOT Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Program – September 21
CDC Rural Health Evaluation and Capacity Building Fellowship – September 25
Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program – Deadline for Next Cohort September 30
USDA America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative – September 30
USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – September 30
USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects) – September 30
USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastrastructure Loans & Guarantees – September 30
USDA Rural Utilities Service: Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program – September 30
USDA Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program – December 31
Ongoing Opportunities
Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities.
Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project
Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program
General Services Administration: Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use
HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications
HRSA National Health Service Corps Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training
HRSA Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program
Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM)
Licensure Portability: The Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project
National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
NIH Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R01 and R34 Clinical Trials Optional) – October 21, 2026
ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth
Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development
Small Business Administration Rural Businesses
Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business
Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program
USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program
USDA: Summer Food Service Program
USDA/National Rural Health Association: Rural Hospital Technical Assistance
USDA Rural Development: America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative
USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems
USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Programs
USDA Rural Development: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
USDA Rural Development: Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages
USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter
USDA Rural Development: Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees
USDA Rural Development: Rural Business Investment Program
USDA Rural Development: Rural Energy Savings Program
USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects)
USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees
U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Physical Therapy Telehealth Research Study for Older Veterans – Ongoing until October 2026
UVM Center on Rural Addiction Contingency Management Certificate Course
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