This bulletin provides an important reminder and information regarding the upcoming recoveries under the COVID-19 Advance Payment Program

To: Physicians, Hospital-Based Dentists, Optometrists, Podiatrists
Category: Physician Services, Dentist Services, Optometrist Services, Podiatrist Services
Published by: Claims Services Branch, Ontario Health Insurance Plan Division
Date Issued: March 26, 2021

COVID-19 Advance Payment Program

As per INFOBulletin 210103, the Ministry of Health (ministry) would like to remind providers that:

  • Recovery of advance payments made under the COVID-19 Advance Payment Program will begin in April 2021. The recovery plans to set off these amounts against a provider’s future OHIP payments starting on the April 2021 RA.
  • The total amount of the advance payments will be recovered in six equal installments. The recovery will come from monthly OHIP payments beginning on the April 2021 RA and ending with the September 2021 RA.
  • No interest will be charged.

NOTE: Advance payments will be automatically recovered from the provider’s solo RA. The recovery will report as a deduction on the RA under Accounting Transactions, as follows: ‘EMERG ADVANCE (COVID19) RECOVERY’.

Negative balances

If a provider does not have sufficient earnings on their solo RA to set off the recovery, the RA will show a negative balance (amount owing).

Negative balances will not accumulate interest and cannot be deducted directly from the provider’s bank account. When a negative balance is generated on the solo RA, it will carry over to the following month’s RA and any payments on that RA will automatically be applied against the negative balance. This will continue until the negative balance has been repaid.

A provider in a negative balance at the end of the recovery period may send a cheque to return the remaining balance owing to the ministry. Once payment recoveries have started in April 2021, providers are asked to wait for the September 2021 RA before sending a cheque to ensure that it reflects the correct repayment amount. Any cheques received before the September 2021 RA is issued will not be processed by the ministry.

Further instructions regarding cheque repayments will be communicated prior to September 2021.

No further action will be required by a provider who is not in a negative balance at the end of the recovery period.

Providers with group earnings

Providers who anticipate that they will not have sufficient earnings on their solo RA in the months of April 2021 to September 2021, but anticipate having earnings through a group source and would like the recoveries made from their group earnings can have their group administrator contact the ministry’s Service Support Contact Centre or call 1-800-262-6524.

Keywords/tags

COVID-19; Advance Payment Program; APP; EMERG ADVANCE; negative balance

Contact information

Do you have questions about this INFOBulletin? Email the Service Support Contact Centre or call 1-800-262-6524.