As of May 31, $43.7 billion of $178 billion in the provider relief fund is unused. In addition, the American Rescue Plan appropriated an additional $8.5 billion for rural providers, but those funds remain unobligated as well, the GAO said.
The Health Resources and Services Administration, an HHS agency, also hasn’t provided a time frame for distributing the remaining funds.
The GAO is recommending that HHS communicate information about the use of COVID-19 relief funds, including a projected time frame.
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