Holiday Announcement

The RHCD Division will be closed on December 24th starting at 12:00 pm and will be closed all day December 25th and January 1st.

November FCC Order for Rural Health Care Support Mechanism Now Available [PDF Format, 411kb]

How to File Comments with the FCC - Filing Procedures [PDF Format, 130kb]

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the RHCD Customer Service Support Center (telephone helpdesk) will close at 8 PM EST on Wednesday, November 26th and will reopen at 8 AM Monday, December 1st. The website will remain open.(11/26/03)

FCC Adopts New Universal Service Rural Health Care Rules

Washington, DC - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today adopted new rules to improve the universal service program for rural health care providers. The program helps rural health care providers obtain access to modern telecommunications and information services for medical and health maintenance purposes. The six-year-old program provides discounted telecommunications services to rural health care providers at rates equal to the rates charged for similar services in urban areas.

The Report and Order, Order on Reconsideration, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted today seeks to strengthen telehealth networks across the nation, improve the quality of public health care services in rural America, and advance national security and public safety benefits by:

For a copy of news release or for specific commission statements on the changes, please visit the FCC website.

The official order will be released in about a week. Please check our What's New section for further details.

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Support Center will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2003

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Support Center will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2003 in observance of Labor Day. The Customer Service Center will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 2, 2003 at 8:00 a.m., ET.

RHCD Announces Packet Deadline for Funding Year 2002

Applicants to the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism for Funding Year 2002 (July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2003) must submit their Form 466/468 "packets" to RHCD by October 8, 2003. The Form 466/468 packet informs RHCD that the health care provider has entered into an agreement for service with a telecommunications carrier, and provides information that allows RHCD to calculate the amount of support the health care provider may receive. Applicants that have filed a Form 465 with RHCD for Funding Year 2002 must submit a completed packet that is postmarked by October 8. Packets postmarked after that date will be denied.

The completed FCC Form 466/468 packet must include the following:

1. FCC Form 466 (Services Ordered and Certification Form), completed by the health care provider;
2. FCC Form 468 (Telecommunications Service Providers Support Form), completed by the telecommunications carrier;
3. contract document or tariff designation, provided by either the health care provider or telecommunications carrier; and
4. if the health care provider is seeking support based on an urban/rural rate comparison, documentation must be included to show the rate for the selected service(s) in the nearest city of 50,000 or more within the state.

Form 466 and 468 and their instructions are available on RHCD's website at. Anyone with questions or in need of assistance with their forms should contact RHCD's Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476.

New FY 2003 Form 466 FAQ Available

RHCD has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Form 466 for Funding Year 2003. Please visit the FAQ for tips on completing the new form.

RHCD Offers Tips for Completing Form 466

Over 100 applicants so far have taken advantage of the new online, e-certable Form 466 for Funding Year 2003. Based upon applicant questions and the forms submitted thus far, RHCD has compiled some tips for successfully completing Form 466.

Please remember that e-certing Form 466 online is not the end of the process. For the form to be processed, RHCD must also have documentation of your rural rate (Block 4, Line 33). Applicants must send RHCD a copy of a bill, contract, or letter from their telecommunications carrier that verifies the rate being paid. This information is required from all applicants, regardless of how they are requesting support. Applicants who do not use the RHCD provided urban rates for their urban/rural comparison may also need to submit documentation of their urban rate. Applications cannot be processed until this information is received.

Applicants seeking mileage-based support should note the instructions for Block 5. The monthly mileage charges (Block 5, Line 36) should only include charges associated with additional mileage on the circuit, i.e. per-mile rates, or rates assessed for addtional mileage. Channel termination charges and other fixed charges for the circuit should not be included. If the information in this line is equal to the service cost per month (Block 4, Line 33), processing may be delayed while RHCD ensures that only charges associated with mileage are included on Line 36.

Applicants seeking support for the urban/rural rate difference should note that the space for the monthly rural rate is located in Block 4, Line 33 as "Service Cost per Month".

The instructions for Form 466 contains these items and other helpful information. Please make sure to look over the instructions before completing the form.

RHCD has also assembled a sample Form 466 with tips and suggestions. The file is downloadable in .pdf format (Filesize: 479kb).

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Support Center will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2003 (7/1/03)

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Support Center will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2003 in observance of Independence Day. The Customer Service Center will resume normal operations on Monday, July 7, 2003 at 8:00 a.m., ET.

FCC Form 466 Available, Prefilled for Eligible Applicants

The FCC has approved Form 466 for applicant use for Funding Year 2003. Applicants who have submitted a completed/funded packet (Forms 466 and 468) in a previous funding year will have the option of using their previously submitted information to prefill the new FCC Form 466 if they choose to electronically certify their Form 466 for Funding Year 2003. RHCD strongly urges all eligible applicants to e-cert their Form 466 in order to save time, reduce errors, and receive your funding committment letter sooner. Login using your HCP number and password to complete and submit Form 466 electronically.

FCC Form 468 Eliminated for Funding Year 2003

The FCC has approved eliminating the FCC Form 468 in order to streamline and simplify the application process. Required information previously included on Form 468 is now included on the New FCC Form 466. As a result, telephone companies no longer will be required to complete ANY forms for submission to the Health Care Provider. Telephone companies may, however, receive calls from applicants for certain information to complete their FCC Form 466. Any questions regarding the elimination of the FCC Form 468 should be referred to the RHCD helpdesk at 800-229-5476.

RHCD Provides Urban Rates for Applicant Use

The FCC has approved the posting of Urban rates for applicant use in order to complete their FCC Form 466. These rates can be used as a "safe harbor," or the applicant still has the option of providing and documenting an applicant urban rate. Urban rates can be found in the new Urban Rates Search in our Tools section. RHCD provided rates are based on month to month tariff rates. More information on how urban rates are calculated can be found in the new page About Urban Rates, in the Applicant section. Questions regarding the use of RHCD provided Urban rates should be referred to the RHCD help desk at 1-800-229-5476.

Post Funding Year 2002 Form 465 before June 2, 2003

Funding Year 2002 Form 465 must be posted by June 2, 2003 in order to complete the 28-day posting period and be eligible for funding for the funding year, which concludes on June 30. Form 465s received after that date will be ineligible for support and will not be posted.Applicants are urged to submit Funding Year 2002 Form 466/468 packets as soon as possible.

Post FY 2002 Form 465 by June 2, 2003 to Receive Support

Funding Year 2002 concludes on June 30, 2003. Applicants who have not yet done so are urged to file Form 465 with RHCD as soon as possible to ensure that they may receive some funding. Since applicants are only eligible for support from the 29th day of their 465 being posted on the RHCD website, the form must be posted by June 2, 2003 to receive support.

The Rural Health Care Division Will Be Launching a Redesigned Website on May 3, 2003

Users will find a reorganized site that contains the same information, in an easier to read and find format. Preview the new site or take a tour.

RHCD Announces Improvement to E-Certification Process

The Rural Health Care Division has implemented an improvement to the electronic certification process, making application even easier for health care providers.
Visit our About E-Certification page to learn more.

Draft Form (FCC Form 466) for Rural Health Care Mechanism Available for Download and Review

A Draft of the proposed new form and accompanying draft instructions for the Rural Health Care mechanism is available for download and review.

Draft FCC Form 466, proposes to collect similar pieces of information previously contained in both Forms 466 and 468. FCC Form 468 will be eliminated.

Download Draft FCC Form 466 [Excel Format, 27kb] and its accompanying draft instructions [PDF Format, 73kb].

RHCD Conducts Outreach to Announce Filing Window

RHCD recently mailed nearly 4,000 applicants, service providers, and interested parties to notify them of the opening of the filing window for Funding Year 2003. Enclosed with each mailing was a letter from RHCD, tips for applying, and an information brochure about the program. These materials are also available for download here. RHC Brochure, Application Tips, Letter

FCC Form 465 Filing Window opens March 26, 2003

RHCD will begin accepting FCC Form 465 for Funding Year 2003 (July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004) on March 26. Applicants are encouraged to file their forms as early as possible after the window opens in order to complete their 28-day posting period and ensure a full year of support. RHCD requires its applicants to apply every year; those who wish to avoid a disruption in their current funding are encouraged to post their Form 465 as soon as possible after the filing window opens or at least 28 days before the beginning of the funding year (RHCD recommends posting by May 30,2003) . Forms may be downloaded from the RHCD website, or can be electronically certified for immediate posting.

Packet Status Report

To help you determine the status of your Form 466/468 packet, the RHCD will post a monthly packet status report. The packet status report will be posted to the web site on or about the first of each month. Applicants may visit the web site to determine whether their Form 466/468 packet has been received and whether RHCD has all of the information it needs to make a funding commitment decision.

View Packet Status Report.

Packet Status Report

To help you determine the status of your Form 466/468 packet, the RHCD will post a monthly packet status report. The packet status report will be posted to the web site on or about the first of each month. Applicants may visit the web site to determine whether their Form 466/468 packet has been received and whether RHCD has all of the information it needs to make a funding commitment decision.

View Packet Status Report.