Nebraska

Nebraska received approximately $218.4 million for the first year of the five-year Rural Health Transformation Program — a revised CMS Notice of Award dated February 27, 2026 put the figure at about $218.5 million, its share of the federal $50 billion program, which runs five years with additional application opportunities in each funding year. The award lets DHHS access federal funds to launch Nebraska's seven initiatives.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) administers the award and releases the Requests for Applications, coordinating with sister agencies such as the Department of Education (school-kitchen grants) and the Department of Agriculture on food-related pieces. General questions go to dhhs.ruralhealth@nebraska.gov. Region-specific input comes through the program's Health Care Advisory Regions (HCARs).

Nebraska's plan spans seven initiatives aimed at modernizing Critical Access Hospitals, retaining the rural workforce, and strengthening pharmacy and community-based care. Concrete threads include Critical Access Hospital and Rural Emergency Hospital infrastructure upgrades, a rural workforce pipeline built on SNAP Employment & Training partners, remote patient monitoring, community health workers and community paramedicine, a "Food as Medicine" track, and enhanced Medicaid support for assisted-living facilities serving higher-acuity rural residents.

Money is moving through numbered RHTP initiatives rather than a single published percentage split. Named tags include CAH modernization, workforce retention, and pharmacy. Funded examples so far: Initiative 3.3 Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive & Sustainability (SNAP E&T) committed $2M; Initiative 3.2 rural VR/skills training; Initiative 4.4b Remote Patient Monitoring; Initiative 1.2 "Food as Medicine"; and more than $2.2M in school-kitchen modernization grants. The full breakdown is in Nebraska's RFA forecast and budget narrative.

Nebraska has been issuing RFAs on a rolling basis and has already named awardees. Under Initiative 3.3 (SNAP E&T), awardees include Waterfield Health LLC, York County Health Coalition, Lutheran Family Services, and The Well NE. Awards were also made under Initiative 4.4b Remote Patient Monitoring. Open or ongoing opportunities include School Kitchen Modernization grants (up to $100,000/year, applications through August 31), Critical Access Hospital and Rural Emergency Hospital infrastructure funding (ongoing), and the Rural Health Workforce Incentive Program. The dispatch list below carries the running record.

Concrete windows on the calendar: School Kitchen Modernization applications are accepted through August 31, 2026 (or until funds are committed), and Critical Access Hospital / Rural Emergency Hospital infrastructure applications are ongoing. Nebraska maintains a regularly updated RFA Forecast/Timeline and posts new opportunities on the RHTP funding page; live dates surface first in the dispatches below.

The Rural Health Transformation Program was created by Section 71401 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025) and is administered federally by CMS. Nebraska administers its award through DHHS under its CMS-approved plan and budget, refreshed by the revised February 27, 2026 Notice of Award, with additional RFAs planned in each of the five funding years.

Eligibility runs on two tracks. Direct-to-state contracts and RFAs are open to a deliberately broad field — local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit or for-profit entities can apply as prime applicants. Subawards flow to rural providers — rural clinics, FQHCs, certified community behavioral health clinics, local health departments, Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals, rural hospitals and Tribal health facilities — where technology vendors and consultants most often engage as subcontractors or implementation partners. The Rural Health Workforce Incentive Program ties incentives to a five-year rural service commitment.

Track opportunities on the Nebraska RHTP hub and the RFA funding page, and direct questions to dhhs.ruralhealth@nebraska.gov.