Rural Health Care

Step 6: Receive Funding Commitment Letter

After USAC reviews the form(s) and supporting documentation, collectively known as a "packet," USAC issues a Funding Commitment Letter (FCL).

Upon packet approval, USAC mails the health care provider (HCP) a Funding Commitment Letter (FCL) and the Connection Certification Form (Form 467). A copy of the FCL is sent to the service provider. In some cases, zero-support FCLs (where the HCP received $0 calculated) may be issued, such as multi-bill circuits, where the first circuit segment is under the urban rate and therefore support does not accrue until the next circuit segment.

If a health care provider is depending on Rural Health Care support to reduce the cost of its services to maintain an adequate cash flow, the health care provider and the service provider(s) may want to wait for the FCL before commencing services to ensure that support is as requested. It is possible that the health care provider might not receive support as expected. Among other reasons, denials or support reductions may occur because:

  • The HCP violated the 28-day competitive bidding requirement by selecting a service provider during the 28-day posting period or by signing a Funding Request and Certification Form (Form 466) and/or an Internet Service Funding Request and Certification Form (Form 466-A) during that period.
  • The HCP requested support for service from a telecommunications carrier that is not a common carrier.
  • The HCP did not submit the Description of Services Requested & Certification Form (Form 465) to USAC, and therefore, did not meet the 28-day posting requirement.
  • Information supplied by the HCP, such as the certification of eligible health care provider type, was determined to be incorrect during packet processing.
  • The HCP did not complete the required 28-day posting by July 1st to qualify for full-year support.
  • The HCP does not have a USAC Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) and is not approved to participate in the Rural Health Care Program.

These are the most common situations involving non-compliance with program rules and denial of support. This is not a complete list of reasons why funding requests have been denied.


Last modified on 1/6/2006