General Q&A
1. Question: What is the project duration?
Answer: The period of performance is September 1, 2026 - September 30, 2027.
2. Question: Will there be another round of funding next year?
Answer: Yes. Dependent on continued federal funding, MD Labor expects to release additional funding in Budget Period 2.
3. Question: Must the Certificate of Good Standing from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation be in hand at the time of application submission on August 9, or may it be provided after an award is made?
Answer: The Certificate of Good Standing from the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation must be
included as part of the application that is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on August 9th, 2026.
4. Question: On the budget template, can applicants add rows to the second tab “Project Budget Detail” to capture all costs?
Answer: Yes, applicants may add rows to the “Project Budget Detail” tab.
5. Question: On the budget template, should applicants add a justification section for indirect rates to the “Cover Sheet” tab?
Answer: No. The “Cover Sheet” tab should not be edited or manipulated beyond the information required by the lead applicant in the yellow highlighted areas. Applicants may use the “Project Budget Detail” to describe indirect costs.
6. Question: Can the lead applicant staff be in both “A-1. Personnel (Program Staff Salaries and Wages)” and “A-2. Personnel (Administrative Staff Salaries and Wages)”?
Answer: Yes, staff may be reflected in both “program personnel” and “administrative personnel.” Applicants should ensure that percent of time spent on the project for programmatic activities and administrative activities is accurate for the role and does not exceed 100%.
7. Question: Are public higher education institutions exempt from providing a Certificate of Good Standing as it is not provided to public entities?
Answer: Public entities that are not issued a standard Certificate of Good Standing are exempt from this requirement.
8. Question: How will multiyear commitments be determined? Are they going to be based on performance exclusively?
Answer: Continued funding is dependent on spending and performance, as well as the availability of federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding.
9. Question: Is there a minimum or maximum funding amount that reviewers typically expect for a single project?
Answer: The maximum allowable award for Pathways to Health Careers - Registered Apprenticeship Intermediaries Program is $400,000. The maximum allowable award for Pathways to Health Careers - RAMP, Allied Health is $200,000. RISE - Rural Health Talent Pipelines has a minimum award amount of $250,000 and a maximum award amount of $500,000. RISE - Rural Health Advanced Provider Pathways has a maximum award amount of $500,000.
10. Question: If funds must be obligated by September 30, 2026, does that mean that awardees have to obligate all of their funds by September 30, 2026, as well?
Answer: No, awardees have until September 30, 2027 to obligate and spend funds.
11. Question: At the end of the grant cycle, can funding money be encumbered or does it have to be actually spent?
Answer: All funds must be spent by September 30, 2027.
12. Question: Are administrative costs calculated as a flat percentage or will they need to be itemized?
Answer: Administrative costs will need to be itemized and cannot exceed 10% of the total award.
13. Question: Are the administrative costs of a subrecipient counted inside the lead applicant's ten percent administrative cap, or calculated separately?
Answer: Administrative costs of subrecipients are counted towards the overall project’s administrative costs, they are not calculated separately and cannot exceed 10% of the total award request. Please note that administrative costs are inclusive of the both the project’s overall administrative costs and 100% of indirect costs.
14. Question: Are recurring technology platform costs for participant data tracking, LMS-based training delivery, and care coordination classified as direct program costs or administrative costs under the 10% cap?
Answer: Recurring technology platform costs dedicated to direct patient-facing care coordination, participant tracking, and clinical/LMS training delivery are classified as direct program costs, provided they directly support specific approved transformation initiatives rather than general organizational management.
15. Question: Are first-year proposals renewable up-to-5-year award and is any of this contingent on final CMS approval of Maryland's budget revisions?
Answer: MD Labor expects to allow successful projects funded in Budget Period 1 to continue into Budget Period 2, contingent upon continued federal funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program.
16. Question: Does a company need to be in the SAM system to submit a grant request?
Answer: Applicants must be registered with the federal System for Award Management, sam.gov, at the time of their application.
17. Question: The policies and application for each project include a list of occupations. Does that mean you will not accept any proposals to train other occupations?
Answer: The occupations listed in both policies represent priority occupations for funding; however, the list is not exhaustive. Applicants may propose using funding for other healthcare professions so long as those occupations can be justified with relevant labor market information.
18. Question: Are organizations that are new eligible to apply?
Answer: There is no requirement for the length of time for which an organization has to be operational in order to apply. Applicants should take note of the other requirements, including registration with SAM.gov before applying and the Department’s risk analysis.
19. Question: Can a single organization/entity apply multiple times to the same funding opportunity?
Answer: No, a lead applicant may not submit multiple applications for the same project; however, lead applicants may serve as subrecipients of funding on the same project for which they applied as the lead.
20. Question: May the same organization appear as a subrecipient or diverse entity partner on applications submitted by different lead applicants, including across different projects?
Answer: Yes.
21. Question: How many applications may a single applicant submit? Will each be considered/reviewed separately?
Answer: Eligible applicants have the opportunity to apply for any or all of the projects listed under the Pathways to Health Careers and/or Rural Incentives for Strengthening Employment in Healthcare (RISE) programs. Each application will be considered and reviewed separately.
22. Question: Can one organization apply across multiple programs without being flagged as duplicative, or are they intentionally segmented (e.g., entry-level vs. advanced clinical roles)?
Answer: Entities that choose to submit multiple applications for different programs may have some overlap in occupations or activities, however, each application should be distinct enough so as not to be duplicative.
23. Question: Can training/educational partners be located in a border state?
Answer: Yes, training/education partners or other partners, including those receiving funds as a subrecipient, may be located in a state other than Maryland. Note that the primary intent of funds is to benefit rural Maryland jurisdictions and that must be made clear in the proposal.
24. Question: Are there prerequisites for an out-of-state training provider to serve as lead applicant?
Answer: All lead applicants must be registered with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation at the time of application and be in good standing with Maryland’ Unemployment Insurance system. If an applicant operates a program that requires academic and/or institutional approval by MHEC, that applicant must be in good standing with MHEC at the time their application is submitted.
25. Question: Can my project encompass multiple counties, as long as at least one is an eligible rural county?
Answer: The activities proposed must serve only rural Maryland communities consistent
with RHTP program objectives. Applicants may not use funds to benefit jurisdictions not defined as wholly rural.
26. Question: In the Intent to Apply document, are applicants bound to the counties they select or can they change before the application is submitted?
Answer: Applicants are bound to service the jurisdictions they identify in their final application.
27. Will factors such as size and scope of impact influence competitiveness for funding, or will applications be assessed in a way that accounts for differences in organizational scale?
Answer: Eligible entities are encouraged to submit high-quality proposals regardless of organizational scale. Complete, eligible applications will be assessed on factors including the proposal's alignment with corresponding RHTP project goals as described in the policies, and the degree to which they provided a realistic, well-articulated plan to achieve deliverables within the period of performance. Applications should clearly detail how funds will be used to transform the healthcare workforce in rural jurisdictions and should note plans to sustain projects once RHTP funds are exhausted.
28. Question: If my organization is partnering with another organization, how should that be reflected in the application?
Answer: Lead applicants must include at least one letter of commitment from an employer partner as part of their application. If the lead applicant is serving as the employer of individuals being funded by the project, a letter of commitment is not required. If working with diverse entity partners (i.e., entities supporting the project but not employing grant-funded participants such as Institutes of Higher Education, Non-Profit or Community Based Organizations, Local Workforce Development Boards, Local Government), applicants may provide a letter of commitment from each diverse entity. While not required, partnering with diverse entities is strongly encouraged. If the lead applicant identifies any partners to receive funds as a subrecipient, the application must include a Certificate of Good standing and W-9 for each subrecipient. Lead applicants will also be required to provide the Unique Entity ID (UEI) to MD Labor for any subrecipient or subcontractor before subawarding funds. A UEI may be obtained through SAM.gov.
29. Question: If a partner organization will employ program completers but will not receive grant funds, is that partner an employer partner only, or also a subrecipient requiring a Certificate of Good Standing and a completed w9?
Answer: Only partners receiving funding are required to provide a Certificate of Good Standing or W-9.
30. Question: Are collaborative and/or county-wide applications permitted?
Answer: Collaborative projects are permitted, but the application must be submitted by an eligible lead applicant.
31. Question: Can applicants partner with multiple employers and community organizations across different rural counties within one application?
Answer: Yes.
32. Question: What are you looking for specifically in employer commitments?
Answer: Applicants are required to provide at least one letter of commitment from an employer partner. Employers may commit to hiring individuals, offering on-the-job learning, shadowing, mentoring, curriculum development, or other activities. The proposed employer activities should be aligned with the overall proposal’s scope and purpose.
33. Question: Does the letter need to include a specific numeric hiring commitment (e.g., "we commit to hiring 3 RNs"), or is a general commitment to partner/host trainees sufficient?
Answer: Employer partners do not need to provide numeric hiring commitments as part of their overall letter of commitment.
34. Question: Is there a required template or minimum content for the employer letters of commitment, or can each partner's letter be customized to their specific role?
Answer: There is no template from employer letters of commitment. Lead applicants should work with their partners to provide a letter of commitment that accurately reflects the involvement of the partners in the overall project.
35. Question: Is the employer commitment a binding hiring guarantee, or a good-faith partnership commitment that could fall through without penalty to the grant?
Answer: Applicants will need to determine the level of commitment they require from their partners. Applicants will be held to the outcomes and deliverables they propose in their application if chosen for an award.
36. Question: I own a small healthcare training business. Would a business like mine be eligible to apply, or would we need to partner with another organization?
Answer: Training providers are eligible entities. Please refer to the program policies for a complete list of eligible entities that may serve as the lead applicant. Lead applicants are required to partner with, and provide a letter of commitment from, at least one
employer and are encouraged, but not required, to collaborate with additional partners and stakeholders.
37. Question: Our organization offers online certification training across healthcare, trades, IT, business, and education. Would we qualify as a training provider under this solicitation?
Answer: Yes.
38. Question: Is Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) approval or an Eligible Training Provider listing (ETPL) required before applying?
Answer: If an applicant operates a program that requires academic and/or institutional approval by MHEC, that applicant must be in good standing with MHEC at the time their application is submitted. There is no requirement for applicants to be listed on the ETPL.
39. Question: Can organizations that do not directly provide clinical services or operate training programs serve as eligible applicants or lead implementation partners under the "other organizations as deemed allowable" provision?
Answer: Please refer to the program policies for a list of eligible entities. This list includes “other organizations as deemed allowable by MD Labor.” If a prospective applicant does not fit into any of the other eligible entity categories, they must contact MD Labor in writing via [email protected] prior to application submission to provide a description of their organization and confirm eligibility.
40. Question: How can vendors best get engaged if they have not yet been contacted by hospitals, etc.?
Answer: The Maryland Department of Health has created a Maryland Rural Health Vendor Directory. Vendors interested in joining the directory should complete this form for consideration. Entities interested in seeking the services of a vendor can utilize the Vendor Directory to identify potential vendors.
41. Question: If an eligible organization is the lead to submit the grant proposal, can that organization subcontract with a for-profit organization to assist with the design, development, and implementation of an awarded grant.
Answer: Yes, subject to the contracting requirements of 2 CFR 200 and 300, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
42. Question: If a lead applicant pays a local community college to provide training related to the RHTP grant, is the college considered a subrecipient?
Answer: The lead applicant will need to determine if an entity receiving funding as a partner is considered a subrecipient, a subcontractor, or a vendor by doing an analysis under 2 CFR 200.331.
43. Question: If we are simply paying an organization for services would that organization need to submit a Letter of Good Standing?
Answer: As a general rule, any organization receiving RHTP funds whether as a lead applicant or partner will need to submit a Certificate of Good Standing
44. Question: How can rural healthcare employers and community health centers partner with the state to access Pathways to Health Careers or RISE funding?
Answer: Healthcare employers and community health centers are both considered eligible applicants for funding through both the Pathways to Health Careers and RISE programs.
45. Question: What sustainability metrics are needed?
Answer: Applicants must be able to demonstrate how they intend to sustain programming absent RHTP funds.
46. Question: Will funding be disbursed by county or other?
Answer: Funding will be disbursed by MD Labor on a reimbursement basis to lead applicants chosen to receive an award following the full execution of a grant agreement between MD Labor and the awardee.
47. Question: What is the definition of a Behavioral Health Technician?
Answer: Behavioral Health Technicians often provide direct care and support to individuals with substance use disorder, mental health disorders, and/or individuals with developmental disabilities under the supervision of a licensed professional. Depending on the population served, the technician may require certain certifications and specialized training.
48. Question: If participants earn American Heart Association certifications that improve employability but are not state licenses, can those certifications be counted as project outcomes?
Answer: Certifications and credentials should correspond with the required education/training of the proposal’s identified occupation(s) and integrate employer input regarding the education/training of that occupation. For example, if an American Heart Association certification is not required for the licensing of a particular occupation but the project’s employer partner requires or prefers that individuals in that occupation hold those certifications, it may be considered a project outcome.
49. Question: Does a full-time conversion of our existing part-time director role count toward the 10% administrative cost cap, or is it categorized as program staffing?
Answer: Categorizing staff as “programmatic” or “administrative” is based on the function of the role. As a general rule, program staff participate in direct execution of grant deliverables while administrative staff are involved in more indirect grant management or governance.
50. Question: For the "total number of individuals employed" outcome, how should we attribute employment "as a result of" program participation for trainees who may have already had a job offer independent of the RHTP-funded rotation?
Answer: The “total number of individuals employed” outcome should encompass participants who received RHTP-funded support and obtained employment during the grant period. Incumbent worker outcomes may be captured in the “other outcomes” category.
Allowable Uses of Funds
1. Question: Can funding be used for program design and can that funding be classified as a program cost rather than an administrative cost?
Answer: Yes, funding can be used to support program design which can be classified as a programmatic cost.
2. Question: Could we pay for someone’s auto-insurance for six months?
Answer: No, RHTP funds cannot be used to pay for personal auto insurance.
3. Question: Are promotional/community events (coat drives, employment fairs for example) allowable expenses?
Answer: Community events are generally allowable as long as they are tied to health-related outcomes such as disease prevention or community public health. Employment fairs are allowable if they are focused on healthcare workforce recruitment. Coat drives would not qualify as a medical or public health intervention and therefore would not be allowable.
4. Question: Can the cost of space rentals for pop-up training be charged to the grant?
Answer: Yes.
5. Question: Does the funding only cover activities and line items that are not reimbursable?
Answer: Funds cannot be used to replace existing funding sources, including activities and line items that are reimbursable or billable through insurance, state, federal, or other funding sources.
6. Question: What expenditures are permitted for training purposes with existing programs?
Answer: Activities proposed under the Rural Health Transformation Fund can not duplicate or supplant other funding sources. Awardees will be required to disclose any related funding sources that could potentially overlap with the proposed activities and explain how RHTP funding is distinct, new, and non-duplicative.
7. Question: Can programs provide student scholarships?
Answer: Yes, scholarships are an allowable expense. Please note that scholarships may trigger the five year rural service commitment.
8. Question: Could funds be used to expand existing healthcare training programs into rural Maryland communities?
Answer: Yes, to the extent that RHTP activities do not duplicate or supplant other funding sources. As indicated under the “Eligible Entities” section of both policies, applicants must operate in, or plan to expand to, jurisdictions wholly defined as “rural” in State statute. Please refer to project-specific guidelines for more information about what types of training programs best align with each respective project.
9. Question: Does the requirement to operate in or plan to expand to rural counties apply to subrecipients and diverse entity partners, or only to the lead applicant?
Answer: The requirement for operation or planned expansion into rural areas applies only to the lead applicant. Subrecipients or diverse entity partners may operate outside of rural areas; however, their involvement in the project should be directly tied to rural areas intended to be supported by the lead applicant. The use of RHTP funds is solely for projects to benefit rural Maryland.
10. Question: Which workforce activities, such as apprenticeships, tuition support, recruitment incentives, and employee retention, will be eligible for funding?
Answer: A list of allowable activities is available on pages 9-12 of the Pathways to Health Careers policy and pages 11-14 of the RISE policy.
11. Question: Would purchasing CPR manikins, AED trainers, and other required training equipment be considered allowable costs if they are necessary to deliver the project?
Answer: Yes, so long as the purchased equipment was used for training purposes and not for patient-facing activities or office supplies. See the policies and attachments regarding the requirements for purchasing equipment.
12. Question: Where can we find more information about allowable incentives (threshold of signing bonuses, allowability of student loan debt repayment assistance, etc.)?
Answer: Applicants should review the terms and conditions outlined in the CMS Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), CMS NOFO Frequently Asked Questions, Maryland Notice of Award Terms and Conditions, and CMS RHTP Frequently Asked
Question - Updated April 2026, all of which are linked to at the bottom of MDH’s Maryland Rural Health Fund Opportunities webpage. Applicants should note that student loan debt repayment is not an allowable expense.
13. Question: Are there restrictions on capital expenditures that would exclude us from using grant funding to purchase transportation such as a vehicle to be used to support transportation for rural individuals who lack access to public transportation and rideshare services?
Answer: Vehicle purchase requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and approval is not guaranteed. See the policies for more information regarding the limitations and requirements for the approval of purchasing equipment.
14. Question: Can the cost of hosting an online training be charged to the grant?
Answer: Yes.
15. Question: Would faculty in-kind time, or facility space count as leveraged resources, or would that risk appearing as double-counting/supplanting?
Answer: Yes, faculty in-kind time or facility space could count as leveraged resources. To ensure that leveraged resources are not violating rules against double-counting or supplanting, please refer to federal cost principles under 45 CFR Part 75 (HHS regulations) and 2 CFR 200.306 (Uniform Guidance).
16. Question: Should the Dietitian and Counseling Clinical Supervisor roles be budgeted as a training/administrative cost, or do they fall under the "no clinician salaries" restriction in Appendix A, item 6?
Answer: Funds may support clinician salaries only if the wages/services are not already reimbursable by insurance, the wages are not above the allowable salary threshold, the clinician is not bound by a non-compete agreement, and the clinician’s role ties directly to an approved program initiative. For more information, please refer to CMS’s FAQ.
17. Question: Does building AI-supported telehealth training/simulation agents count as training infrastructure, or could it be viewed as falling under the prohibited "research and development" cost category?
Answer: Building AI-supported telehealth training and simulation agents counts as allowable training infrastructure provided they are deployed for immediate workforce education rather than baseline academic experimentation.
18. Question: Can a rural practice serve as an employer partner while also participating in the program as a beneficiary of grant-funded activities?
Answer: Yes, an employer partner could also be a recipient of grant funds.
Service Commitment
1. Question: Where can we find information around which occupations require 5-year service commitments?
Answer: Clinical occupations are subject to the five year rural service commitment. CHWs, Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, Direct Support Professionals, healthcare administrative roles, and healthcare IT roles are generally exempt from the service commitment.
2. Question: Does the 5-year service commitment need to be with the same employer? Could they transition between facilities/clinics within the same hospital system?
Answer: An individual may change employers and continue the fulfillment of the five year service commitment as long as the employer is located in a Maryland jurisdiction defined as wholly rural by state statute.
3. Question: Will grantees be required to track and monitor participants during the entire five-year service commitment? Or will grantees be required to submit a student tracking report at closeout, and Labor will monitor students’ service commitments after receiving the information necessary to track their service obligations.
Answer: Yes, grantees will be responsible for tracking the fulfilment of the service requirement. MD Labor may request the names and contact information of participants at closeout and/or during the monitoring process.
4. Question: Does MD Labor have specific requirements for the database or system grantees must use to track the 5-year service commitment, or is system selection at the grantee's discretion?
Answer: The system used to track participants is at the grantee’s discretion.
5. Question: What are the specific tracking requirements for the 5-year service commitment?
Answer: At minimum, grantees will need to collect names and contact information for individuals subject to the five year service commitment to share with MD Labor. Grantees should determine additional information that will need to be collected in order to successfully track grantees over a five year period.
6. Question: What if someone completes a program, works for three (3) years in a rural jurisdiction in Maryland and then moves out of state. Is the lead applicant still obligated to track and monitor that individual?
Answer: Yes, grantees are responsible for tracking the fulfillment of the service requirement and any deferrals or non-completion of the commitment due to extenuating circumstances for all participants who qualify. Individuals who are subject to the service commitment will need to sign a contract committing to provide five years of service in a rural area with the grantee and entities will be required to clawback funds at a pro-rated level if the commitment is not fulfilled.
7. Question: Do student stipends (for cost-of-living activities, not scholarships) trigger the rural employment service commitment?
8. Answer: Yes, stipends are a direct financial incentive and therefore trigger the five year service commitment.
Question: Are there additional resources provided to trainees during their 5-year service commitment, beyond the scope of the original training?
Answer: No.
9. Question: How is the five year service commitment monitored?
Answer: Grantees will be responsible for tracking the fulfillment of the service commitment for participants and provide the names and contact information of individuals trained to MD Labor for monitoring.
10. Question: If grantees provided participant social security numbers, could MD Labor help track employment over five years?
Answer: No, MD Labor will not help track employment of participants during their five year service. Grantees are required to collect the names and contact information of individuals who receive direct financial support and/or training that leads to a certificate, credential, or degree for the purpose of reporting that information to MD Labor for monitoring. Grantees may choose what information to collect in order to track the fulfillment of the service commitment. Grantees should note they will be required to sign and abide by a Data Use Agreement intended to ensure the confidentiality, privacy, and security of collected personal information.
11. Question: What outcome data will grantees be required to report, and into what system?
Answer: The applications for both Pathways to Health Careers and RISE ask eligible entities to provide proposed outcomes for their projects, which will inform quarterly reporting if awarded. At this time, MD Labor intends to use a quarterly reporting form to collect outcomes.
12. Question: If a participant fails to fulfill their five year service commitment, how will the money be recouped?
Answer: The grantee will be responsible for returning funding to MD Labor for any individual that does not fulfill the five year service commitment at a pro-rated level.
13. Question: Is there funding for the full 5 years to pay someone to track participants’ fulfillment of the five year service commitment?
Answer: Ongoing federal funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program is contingent on spending and performance therefore, MD Labor does not anticipate executing grant awards that extend beyond one year period of performance. Applicants may consider building in the cost of tracking participants for a single budget year.
14. Question: Is the service commitment expected to apply to high school students who receive funding to obtain a credential, such as the credential required to become a C.N.A.?
Answer: Yes. Any participant that receives direct financial support and/or training that leads to a certificate, credential, or degree with RHTP funding must commit to a 5-year service commitment in rural Maryland.
15. Question: Are individuals under the age of 18 exempt from the five year service commitment?
Answer: According to CMS, there is no minimum age exemption from the five year rural service commitment. Instead, CMS recommends avoiding offering direct, job-enabling licensure or certification pathways or financial incentives paid directly to the individual at the high school level or below with Rural Health Transformation Program funding.
16. Question: Is there going to be an acceptable percentage of grant participants who achieve the 5-year commitment?
Answer: It is expected that any individual who is subject to the service commitment will fulfill all five years of the service commitment.
17. Question: Are participants required to live AND work in a rural county for the full 5-year commitment?
Answer: Participants who receive direct financial assistance for workforce development activities/initiatives through RHTP are required to work in a rural Maryland county for five years. Telehealth services would not satisfy the 5-year service commitment. While there is no rural residency requirement, it is strongly encouraged that applicants use funds to support residents of rural areas.
18. Question: Do the supportive services listed in the policy (transportation, uniforms/tools, childcare, etc.) apply to trainees during their clinical rotation period, or only post-completion during job placement? Would students receiving these services be subject to the rural service commitment?
Answer: Applicants may determine how and when to incorporate supportive services. Individuals who receive supportive services/financial benefit and are pursuing clinical occupations are subject to the service requirement. *Please note that if it is the policy of the program to provide supportive services and/or other incentives to all individuals, then the service commitment may not apply. For example, if it is part of a policy that a program provides uniforms for everyone, and not strictly for individual benefit, then that would not be considered an “individual incentive” that would trigger a service commitment. Another example of this is if a program is providing access to housing for all participants, rather than paying rent for an individual, then the service commitment may not apply. Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the service commitment applies. Applicants should read CMS’s FAQ on the rural service commitment prior to submitting an application to understand how their particular proposal may be impacted by the service commitment requirement.
Pathways to Health Careers
1. Question: Do you need to already be a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) in order to apply, or will there be time to establish your RAP?
Answer: Applicants interested in establishing a Registered Apprenticeship Program as part of their RHTP proposal should note the period of performance. Applicants are required to submit a timeline of activities as part of the application process.
2. Question: Can we plan to allocate funds to expand the existing Registered Apprenticeships in healthcare occupations?
Answer: Yes, funds may be used to expand existing Registered Apprenticeships.
3. Question: Please define "qualified intermediary."
Answer: MD Labor defines Registered Apprenticeship Intermediaries as any organization that can demonstrate expertise in: (1) Connecting sponsors, employers, or potential Apprenticeship program participants with Registered Apprenticeship programs;
(2) Convening stakeholders to develop Registered Apprenticeship programs, including
previous sector strategies or sectoral work; or, (3) Other key functions to successfully
build and scale Registered Apprenticeship programs.
4. Question: Do you expect applicants to already have apprenticeship experience?
If
the answer is yes, define what experience you are looking for.
Answer: No. Experience with apprenticeship is not required but is strongly encouraged.
5. Question: How heavily will prior Registered Apprenticeship experience be
weighted?
Answer: Past experience with Registered Apprenticeship will be evaluated alongside
the full scope of the project. Applicants should note the period of performance when
submitting projects for which a significant amount of “planning” time may be required.
6. Question: How much emphasis will be placed on immediate apprentice
registrations?
Answer: MD Labor expects its grantees to establish and/or expand Registered
Apprenticeship Program(s) in healthcare. Given the period of performance, it is possible
that successful projects may not register apprentices within the grant term. Instead,
funding may support the planning, design, employer engagement, and development
activities necessary to establish new apprenticeship programs.
7. Question: Should employer partners already be committed to hiring apprentices,
or is one purpose of the grant to help build those employer commitments?
Answer: Eligible entities may choose to submit an application in which employers have
already committed to hiring a certain number of apprentices and/or provide a target
number of new employers they wish to onboard and/or recruit into the apprenticeship
program.
8. Question: For organizations new to being apprenticeship intermediaries, what
level of implementation readiness does Labor expect at the time of application?
Answer: Applicants must demonstrate operational readiness to execute their proposed
project plan within the grant period of performance, September 1, 2026 - September 30,
2027.
9. Question: Would CPR, First Aid, AED, and Basic Life Support (BLS) training for
Pathways to Health Careers be considered a competitive project under this grant if
it is tied to workforce development and employment?
Answer: Complete, eligible applications will be assessed on factors including the
proposal's alignment with corresponding RHTP project goals as described in the
policies, and the degree to which they provided a realistic, well-articulated plan to
achieve deliverables within the period of performance. Applications should clearly detail
how funds will be used to transform the healthcare workforce in rural jurisdictions and
should note plans to sustain projects once RHTP funds are exhausted.
10. Question: Under Rural Advancement for Maryland Peers, Allied Health, are
participant stipends or wage support during training an allowable cost?
Answer: Yes, stipends are an allowable cost.
11. Question: Does a worker-owned cooperative that places and employs certified
Community Health Workers with health and community organizations qualify as
an employer partner for the required letter of commitment?
Answer: If the employer is committing to hiring RHTP-funded participants then they
would qualify as an employer partner. Other activities employer partners may commit to
are job shadowing, OJL, mentoring, etc. Employment placement would not qualify as an
eligible activity of an employer partner.
12. Question: For Community Health Worker training, what credential does MD Labor
recognize as meeting the credential attainment outcome in Maryland? Could we
choose not to pursue credentialing for our project scope for CHWs?
Answer: Applicants interested in training Community Health Workers should review the
Maryland Department of Health’s Community Health Worker Certification website for
detailed information about certification requirements and accredited training providers.
Applicants should use relevant labor market information for occupations and geographic
regions they intend to serve to determine which certifications, if any, will best position
participants for employment.
13. Question: For the RAMP - Allied Health grant, can scholarships be used for the
budget for students who have not finished their schooling yet?
Answer: Yes, scholarships are an allowable cost and could be applied to students who
have already started schooling, so long as the scholarship is not supplanting another
form of financial aid.
Rural Incentives for Strengthening Employment in Healthcare (RISE)
1. Question: How can a mission driven, primary care practice obtain funding for a
much needed physician recruit?
Answer: Recruitment activities are an allowable expense; however, it should be noted
that funds may not be used for clinician salaries. For a more detailed list of allowable
activities, Please review the Rural Incentives for Strengthening Employment in
Healthcare (RISE) policy, especially the sections pertaining to the Rural Health
Advanced Provider Pathways project, which seeks to bolster training, recruitment, and retention for clinical healthcare practitioners.
2. Question: Can funds be used to cover the recruiter fee to hire a physician or physician assistant?
Answer: Yes; however, applicants should bear in mind that proposals should clearly define how the project will be not only transformational but also sustainable absent RHTP funding.
3. Question: The RISE Advanced Provider Pathways has a focus on mid-level providers. However, it is noted that programs that address workforce needs for physicians are eligible. Please address if applications will need to address the need for additional mid-level providers OR can look to other healthcare areas.
Answer: The occupations listed in both policies represent priority occupations for funding; however, the list is not exhaustive. Applicants may propose using funding for other healthcare professions so long as they can be justified with relevant labor market information.
4. Question: Do high school internships need to be formal registered high school apprenticeship programs to be eligible?
Answer: No. Internships are an allowable activity and do not need to be part of a High School Level of Apprenticeship in order to be eligible.
5. Question: For Rural Health Talent Pipelines, we see that working with dual enrollment pipelines (secondary schools) and incumbent workers are potential activities to be funded. Must all programs work with middle/high school students? Could we focus instead upon unemployed individuals who are not K-12 or incumbent workers?
Answer: The RISE Rural Health Talent Pipeline opportunity allows applicants to focus on either K-12 students and/or incumbent workers. While the list of allowable activities in the RISE policy for these populations is based on MD Labor’s identified priorities, applicants may submit activities not on this list for consideration as long as they are allowable activities per the CMS Notice of Funding Opportunity and Maryland Notice of Terms and Conditions, both of which are linked here.
6. Question: Can the RISE funding cover clinical supervisor roles, such as a clinical supervisor for a new social worker?
Answer: Staff salaries that are tied exclusively to supervision or another indirect/administrative can be paid using RHTP funds, keeping in mind that administrative costs are strictly capped at 10%. Clinical work that is billable or capable of reimbursement by insurance is not an allowable expense. Funds cannot be used to supplant existing funding sources of staff salaries.
7. Question: If a faculty member on a 10-month academic- year appointment devotes a portion of their academic-year effort to RHTP grant activities and the institution reallocates that effort consistent with its normal release-time procedures, would that be considered supplanting funds?
Answer: No, relocating a portion of a faculty member’s academic year effort to RHTP via normal institutional release-time procedures is generally not considered supplanting so long as the effort is demonstrably spent on grant-related activities and the institution does not otherwise remove or cut baseline funding previously committed to the role.
8. Question: If an organization uses RHTP funds to provide a summer salary to a faculty member for effort performed during months that are outside the faculty member's institutional appointment period, would that be considered supplantation?
Answer: No, providing a summer salary for work that directly benefits the grant is generally not considered supplantation as long as the effort is new, is demonstrably spent on grant activities, and does not replace existing commitments.
9. Question: Are we able to reward a 3 -or 4-year scholarship to a specific student during the grant time but not pay the tuition until each academic year?
Answer: Continued funding is dependent on both spending and performance and although MD Labor hopes to continue successful awards from one budget period to the next, that is wholly contingent on federal funding of the Rural Health Transformation Program. Multi-year incentives should make clear that funding is not guaranteed.
10. Question: May a private independent medical practice apply under the “Other organization” category and serve as both the lead applicant and the participating rural healthcare employer?
Answer: Yes.
11. Question: Are recruitment bonuses, relocation assistance, rural clinical-rotation stipends, preceptor compensation, onboarding costs, mentorship costs, and retention payments allowable expenses?
Answer: Yes. Please note that direct financial incentives may incur a five year rural service commitment.
12. Question: May funding support PA students or recent graduates before they become employees, or must all funded participants already be employed by the applicant?
Answer: Funding may support students as they work toward employment.
13. Question: Must supported employees be new hires, or may the project include retention and professional-development support for existing rural physician assistants?
Answer: RHTP RISE funding can be used to support incumbent workers.
14. Question: May a university or PA program participate as a subrecipient, and are formal partner commitments required with the Notice of Intent or only with the full application?
Answer: Yes, a university or PA program can serve as a subrecipient. Formal partner commitments are only required with the full application and not at the time of a notice of intent to apply is submitted.
15. Question: Is there a minimum number of trainees, recruits, or retained employees that an Advanced Provider Pathways project must serve?
Answer: No, there is no minimum number of individuals who must be served by projects.
16. Question: For RISE Advanced Provider Pathway, can we do more than one direct provider program for the application?
We wanted to combine PA and pharmacy, both of which can prescribe. Answer: Applicants may choose to focus on more than one occupation in their proposals. Applicants may not submit more than one proposal for each project. For example, an applicant could not submit two applications to RISE Advanced Provider Pathways for different occupations.
17. Question: Is there a definition or reference that applicants should use when determining which occupations are considered Health Information Technology (HIT) careers under this funding opportunity?
Answer: There is no set definition or reference for qualifying healthcare IT careers under MD Labor’s RHTP funding. Proposed health IT occupations should be justified using relevant labor market information and employer input.
18. Question: Is an interprofessional simulation training program for nutrition, counseling and nursing students an eligible use of funds for the RISE Advanced Provider Pathways program?
Answer: Yes.
