Telecommunications (Telecom) Program

USAC Invoice Payment Cycle for Service Providers

USAC pays invoices to service providers in batches. Batches are paid on the 6^th and the 21^st of each month (except weekends and holidays, where the payment batch date would fall on the next business day).  Invoices that USAC approves are typically processed in the upcoming payment batch. Service providers can expect the payment from the approved invoice (FCC Form 463, FCC Form 469, or Telecom Program Invoice) to arrive in their bank accounts three (3) business days after the payment batch date.

Telecommunications (Telecom) Program Invoicing

Invoicing for FY2024

The FCC Form 469 is the new invoicing form for the Telecommunication (Telecom) Program. Per FCC Order 23-6, it’s aligned with the FCC Form 463, the invoicing form used for the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program. One key difference is that the service provider will submit the FCC Form 469 in RHC Connect, the applicant will receive an email alerting them of the submission, and the applicant will officially submit the form to USAC by certifying and signing the form. For Funding Year (FY) 2024, the FCC Form 467, the Healthcare Provider Support Schedule (HSS), and the Telecom invoice will be eliminated in the Telecom Program. For information and resources about the FCC Form 469, visit the Welcome to RHC Connect – FCC Form 469  webpage.

Invoicing for FY2023

Once you receive and review the HCP Support Schedule (HSS), you must credit the HCP’s account in the next billing cycle, and then log in to My Portal and submit an online invoice to USAC. After you submit the online invoice, USAC will process it within 24 hours. As a reminder, please be sure to respond to any invoicing Information Requests by the 14-calendar day deadline listed in the email.

HCP Support Schedule (HSS) Contents

You will use the HSS to determine how much credit the HCP will receive each month. Credit the support to the Billing Account Number shown on the HSS. A sample support schedule is available for download. The HSS includes the following information:

• Funding year;
• HCP number;
• FRN;
• Billing Account Number (BAN);
• HCP name;
• 498 ID and service provider name;
• Supported service;
• Support start date;
• Support end date; and
• Support amount: per month ($) and total support for the funding year.

When You Receive the HSS

USAC sends the HSS to you and the HCP after processing the FCC Form 467. Once you receive the HSS, review it to ensure the following:

• The 498 ID is correct;
• The service being supported was actually working and being billed for the time period on the HSS; and
• The BAN listed on the schedule is the same BAN attached to the service and HCP location or HCP mailing organization and address

If there is an error or you have any questions about the information on the HSS, contact the RHC Customer Service Center (before you apply program discounts).

Once you have reviewed the HSS, you can begin applying the approved discounts to the HCP during the next billing cycle. The entity that receives the bill and pays for the service is the “billed entity.”

You may provide credit to the billed entity in one of two ways:

• Send a check to the billed entity using the BAN in the HSS, or
• Provide a credit on the bill of the billed entity using the BAN in the HSS.

Provide Support Credit on a Bill

The credited amount should equal the support amount on the HSS for the BAN except the first month’s credit, which should equal the support amount for the current month plus all previous months on the schedule (retroactive support).

Example:

• If the HSS indicates that an HCP should receive $100 per month for 12 full months of the Funding Year (July – June), and the HCP receives the HSS in February after the Funding Year has started, then the March bill should include a $900 credit for July through March (i.e., nine months of support)

When and Where to Send Invoices

You may submit online invoices to USAC on a rolling basis. The first invoice may be cumulative (beginning with the start date of approved funding up to the previous month), but you may not invoice for future months.

Invoice Filing Deadline

The invoice filing deadline is four months (120 days) from the service delivery deadline or the date of a revised FCL approving a post-commitment request or a successful appeal of a previously denied or reduced funding request, whichever comes later. The service delivery deadline is June 30 of the funding year for which program support is sought. This invoice filing deadline is included in the funding commitment letter (FCL), which USAC sends via email after approving the FCC Form 466 (Funding Request Form).

For FY2024, this deadline refers to the date by which the FCC Form 469 must be approved, signed, and certified by both you and the HCP, and submitted to USAC. This means that you and the HCP must allow plenty of time in advance of the invoice filing deadline for you to submit the form in RHC Connect and the HCP to review the form, resolve any errors, certify, and sign the form, and then submit it to USAC.

For FY2023 and prior, HCPs must submit their FCC Form 467 in My Portal  to initiate the invoicing process and service providers must submit their online invoice to USAC by the invoice filing deadline or funds will not be disbursed.