Health Resources and Services Administration

Topics on this page: Summary of Activities that Continue | Summary of Activities that will Not Continue | Summary of Contingency Staffing Plan

Summary of Activities that Continue

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will continue to oversee activities funded through mandatory funding, advanced appropriations, prior year carry-over funds, and user fees. One HRSA program has a full-year mandatory appropriation, and two discretionary activities have advanced appropriations for FY 2025 and will have no impact from a lapse in appropriations. For a limited amount of time, HRSA will continue to oversee certain direct health services and other activities with carryover balances, such as the Health Centers, Ryan White HIV/AIDS program - Parts A and B and Ending the HIV Epidemic, Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education, and the National Health Service Corps. Additionally, HRSA will continue to oversee the National Practitioner Databank using existing user fee balances.

Summary of Activities that will Not Continue

• HRSA cannot make grants that are typically awarded in first quarter including for a series of programs that support our maternal and child health work, eg the Q1 awards for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant that supports every state health department’s MCH programs (e.g. newborn screening), the dedicated MCH state system development program, and Children’s Hospital GME that trains new pediatricians and pediatric mental health providers.
• In addition, Vaccine Injury Program, IT and administrative contracts would be delayed.
• Drafting/posting FY 2025 NOFOs and reviewing applications for discretionary funded programs would be impacted (which will significantly limit the amount of time for applicants to apply and undercut our efforts to expand the applicant pools);
• Working with recipients to remove funding conditions from Congressionally Directed Spending projects, which are of high Congressional interest (FY 2024 earmark projects cannot begin without this action);
• Working on procurement documents/strategy for modernizing the OPTN;
• Limited ability to staff activities related to certain litigation; and
• Limited staff to support the development and promotion of high priority programs in maternal health, health workforce, and behavioral health.

Summary of Contingency Staffing Plan

In the event of a lapse of appropriation, nearly half of HRSA staff will be furloughed.  The remaining 1,478 (52%) of the HRSA staff will be retained, the majority of whom are funded.  Other HRSA staff are otherwise excepted.  Specifically, 1,260 (45%) are exempt (their activities or position are already funded or otherwise exempted) and 218 (8%) are excepted (their activities are deemed necessary by implication, or for the safety of human life and protection of property).

Exempt Staff:

A total of 1,260 (45%) HRSA staff will be exempt. The staff will support the programs and activities funded through mandatory funding, carryover funding, or user fees during a lapse in appropriations. Approximately1,260 staff will continue to oversee programs and activities that are funded through carryover funding, mandatory funding, or user fees which include: Ryan White Parts A & B; President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; Ending HIV Epidemic; National Practitioner Databank; Health Center Federal Tort Claims Act Program, Rural Residency Program; Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program; Health Centers Program, Teaching Health Centers GME, National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, Medical Student Education, Pediatric Loan Repayment Program, and Provider Relief Fund activities. There will also be 71 staff paid from a full-year mandatory and discretionary appropriations to support the following programs: Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Program and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Program - Pediatric Mental Health Care Access and Primary Care Training and Enhancement.

Excepted Staff:

A total of 218 (8%) HRSA staff are considered excepted and can legally continue their activities in the absence of appropriations. These staff fall into three categories; 1) those whose work is necessary for the safety of human life, 2) those whose work is necessary for the protection of property, and 3) those whose work is "necessarily implied" from the authorized continuation of other activities.

Excepted HRSA staff will continue to perform vital tasks related to imminent threats to human life, including staff providing patient care for individuals with Hansen's disease. Additionally, staff will also be considered excepted and continue to work if their duties are necessary to ensure the ongoing support and operations of funded activities, or if they are needed for the orderly phase down and suspension of non-funded activities. These HRSA staff will continue to provide the necessary operational support to ensure the centers and offices can continue authorized and funded activities, including providing administrative and financial support, grants monitoring and processing, and IT Help Desk and Desktop support.

HRSA has 61 Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers who will continue working under this exception.