Health Resources and Services Administration

Topics on this page: Summary of Activities that 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. Two HRSA programs have a full-year mandatory appropriation, and two discretionary activities have advanced appropriations for FY 2024 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 Ryan White HIV/AIDS program - Parts A and B and Ending the HIV Epidemic. Additionally, HRSA will continue to oversee the National Practitioner Databank using existing user fee balances.

Summary of Contingency Staffing Plan

In the event of a lapse of appropriation, nearly half of HRSA staff will be furloughed.  The remaining 1,471 (54%) of the HRSA staff will be retained, the majority of whom are funded.  Other HRSA staff are otherwise excepted.  Specifically, 1,241 (45%) are exempt (their activities or position are already funded or otherwise exempted) and 230 (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 1,241 (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. 1,241 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, and Provider Relief Fund activities. There will also be 73 staff paid from a full-year mandatory and discretionary appropriations to support the following programs: Family to Family Health Information Systems; 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 230 (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 83 Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers who will continue working under this exception.