In an updated document for the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration said all borrowers should consider the certification they must make when applying for loans that "current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the applicant." Among the considerations businesses must weigh is their ability to access other sources of money. This update is in response to the number of corporations that applied for PPP loans, including Shake Shack, Potbelly and other large restaurant chains. The guidance doesn't change the formal rules of the program and wouldn't necessarily stop large companies from continuing to seek the loans, but it marked the SBA's first public response to revelations that large companies were among the first to receive the government-backed loans.

HHS announced additional information about allocations of the $100 billion Provider Relief Act created in the CARES Act, which the Administration is using to help reimburse providers for the costs of uninsured COVID-19 patients. HHS released a new fact sheet detailing this allocation. Fifty billion dollars is set aside for general distribution to Medicare facilities and providers impacted by COVID-19, $10 billion will be allocated for a targeted distribution to hospitals in areas that have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, and $10 billion will be allocated for rural health clinics and hospitals.

The Social Security Administration announced that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will automatically receive their Economic Impact Payments directly to their bank accounts through direct deposit, Direct Express debit card or by paper check, just as they would normally receive their SSI benefits. Treasury anticipates SSI recipients will receive these automatic payments no later than early May.

CDC released “COVID19Surge,” which is a spreadsheet-based tool that hospital administrators and public health officials can use to estimate the surge in demand for hospital-based services during the pandemic. A user of COVID19Surge can produce estimates of the number of COVID-19 patients that need to be hospitalized, the number requiring ICU care, and the number requiring ventilator support. The user can then compare those estimates with hospital capacity, using either existing capacity or estimates of expanded capacity.

The IRS posted new FAQs regarding COVID-19-related tax credits for required paid sick and family leave provided by small and midsize businesses, while the Treasury Department updated its FAQs on Economic Impact Payments and the Federal Reserve announced that its Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility is fully operational and available to provide liquidity to eligible financial institutions, which will help support small businesses.

Be sure to check the coronavirus information section of the NAHU website on a regular basis. We update it daily with any new resources or guidance released by the federal government.