Assurance Services • Published 8/11/2020 Louisiana’s Coronavirus Relief Funds – Supplemental Claims & Third Round

Louisiana’s Division of Administration will accept reimbursement applications October 1 – 15, 2020 to administer the third round of the state’s $511 million in CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds. The third round of funding will cover eligible expenditures related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the period July 1 – September 30, 2020. This is the last scheduled round of funding.

The Division of Administration is also offering a round of supplemental claims for the first two funding periods, March 1 – April; 30, and May 1 – June 30. The window for filing these “catch-up” claims is August 15 – August 31, 2020.

What is considered a local government?

A parish, municipality, town, township, village or other unit of general government below the State level with parish-wide jurisdiction including, but not limited to, Sheriff, Coroner, Clerk of Court, and District Attorney is considered a local government for the purposes of this funding. If your entity is one which does not fit within the definition of local government unit, your application for reimbursement must be submitted by the parish with which you are affiliated.

Will there be other chances to apply for reimbursement?

During the first and second rounds, Louisiana governments submitted millions in claims for such things as public safety payroll costs, medical and safety supplies, and sanitation services. Although round two numbers are not yet available, the Joint Legislative Committee of the Budget (JLCB) released a report on local government coronavirus relief funding from the June application period. Allocations from that first round totaled $236,193,262; however, only $159,465,943 was requested and only $120,565,439 in authorized payments were made. Twenty-four parishes did not submit any reimbursement requests during round one, with many other parishes requesting only a small amount of their allocation.

Based upon these numbers, many local governments may still have significant unclaimed expenses, and the August 15 – August 31 and October 1 – October 15 application periods may be the last chances to submit reimbursement applications to recoup these eligible costs. It is anticipated that these funding rounds will use the entire allocated amount and there are not likely to be any further opportunities to recoup expenses from the covered periods.

Next steps

In order to make the most of funding available to local governments, it is critical for your organization to act quickly and submit your application for the third, and potentially final, round of funding.

Expenses that were incurred during previous periods may be submitted during a subsequent period; therefore, if your organization missed the application windows for the first and second rounds for expenses incurred during the March 1 – April 30 or May 1 – June 30 periods, you should still submit a reimbursement application when the next application period opens on August 15, 2020.

If you have questions about the eligibility of certain expenses or need assistance with the reimbursement application process, please contact us. P&N’s experienced professionals are available to help you maximize CARES Act Funds that enable you to provide vital public services and help our communities recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

Updated FAQs, application instructions, required documents, and federal guidance related to Louisiana CARES Act funds can be found at www.LouisianaCARES.la.gov.