Rural Health Care Outreach Conference Call Minutes
October 9, 2003

The window for Funding Year 2002 (July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2003) closed on October 8, 2003. Over 2700 applications were received for the 2002 funding year and RHCD estimates that over 21 million dollars will be committed for Funding Year 2002 when processing is completed for the hundreds of applications that have recently arrived. That makes Funding Year 2002 a record for the Rural Health Support Care mechanism.

RHCD anticipates that the FCC’s Order for the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism will be issued before the end of the year.. The RHCD expects the filing window for Funding Year 2004 will open in March 2004, pending the issue date and changes needed to accommodate the FCC’s pending new order.

Several common 2003 Form 466 application errors were discussed. The most common included failure to document telecommunications rates by including bills or other appropriate documentation. Failure to send such documentation delays processing of Form 466, while the RHCD contacts applicants to obtain the documentation. (Please see the July 10, 2003 conference call minutes for a description of the required documentation.) If you use an Urban Rate other than the rate cited on the RHCD web site, you must send documentation of how the rate was derived. Applicants were also reminded to submit copies of any service bids received from telecommunication providers, and were reminded that appeals of Funding Commitments or other decisions by the RHCD must be filed within 60 days of RHCD’s notice of the decision, or the appeal will be dismissed not untimely filed.