Guide to the CARES Act U S. Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was signed into law, marking the third and largest major legislative initiative to address COVID-19 to date. Highlights are provided below, followed by summaries of provisions in the tables; not included are provisions that are not closely related to health but which are important aspects of the response to the outbreak, such as those pertaining to support for small businesses and severely stressed sectors of the U.S. economy and childcare. Payment recipients must certify that the payment will only be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19, and that the payment shall reimburse the Recipient only for health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus not reimbursed by other sources or that other sources are obligated to reimburse. Providers that have Provider Relief Fund payments that they cannot expend on allowable expenses or lost revenues by the deadline to use funds that corresponds to the Payment Received Period, as outlined in the Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements, will return this money to HHS. The Provider Relief Fund Terms and Conditions and legal requirements authorize HHS to audit Provider Relief Fund recipients now or in the future to ensure that program requirements are met. HHS is authorized to recover any Provider Relief Fund amounts that were made incorrectly or exceed lost revenues or expenses due to coronavirus, or do not otherwise meet applicable legal and program requirements.

Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund $27,014,500,000To remain available until Sept. 30, 2024For an additional amount for the “Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund” to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically cares act or internationally. Products purchased by the federal government with these funds, including vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, shall be purchased in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation guidance on fair and reasonable pricing.

CARES Webinars

The Republican-led amendment to cap unemployment benefits failed in a 48–48 vote. When an individual affected by COVID-19 requests and receives flexibility with their payment obligations from a creditor, the creditor must report to credit bureaus that the individual is in compliance with their payment obligations.

However, on Aug. 26, 2021, the Supreme Court rejected the latest extension requested by the CDC. Amanda Jackson has expertise in personal finance, investing, and social services. Do not let CARES Act Funding for Schools and Students end up in the wrong hands. Congress created several different formula and discretionary allocations within HEERF. Please click on the links below to be taken for information and resources for the specific program or distribution.

What law governs this program?

If an exclusion applies, an equivalent amount of any deductions, basis, losses or other tax attributes may have to be reduced in accordance with the Code or other Federal law. The biggest single expenditure in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act was the $300 billion sent directly to American taxpayers. The payment was $1,200 for every adult and $500 more for each child in the household. Another $350 billion was paid out in forgivable loans to small businesses to subsidize their payrolls during the disruption of the pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act authorized direct payments to individuals, generous monthly rebates to families with children, and extended unemployment benefits for laid-off workers. State and local governments received up to $150 billion in assistance through the new Coronavirus Relief Fund. Of that, $3 billion was reserved for federally administered territories and $8 billion for tribal governments.

Not less than $500,000,000 for public health data surveillance and analytics infrastructure modernization.CDC shall report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the development of a public health surveillance and data collection system for coronavirus within 30 days of enactment of this Act. When awarding the grants, Secretary should prioritize certain applicants, such as those with programs or activities that are expected to substantially benefit rural or medically underserved populations of older adults, and give special consideration to those that provide services in areas with a shortage of geriatric workforce professionals. More than $17 billion for the Veterans Health Administration to support medical care and related services and facilities during the coronavirus response. However, if the government forgives all or a portion of the loan, the amount of the loan that is forgiven is generally included in gross income of the business and is taxable unless an exclusion in section 108 of the Code or other Federal law applies.