Protect your healthcare finance team from the shiftings of the labor market

Read this if you are an IT Leader, CFO, COO, or other C-suite leader responsible for selecting a new system.

Vendor demonstrations are an important milestone in the vendor selection process for organizations assessing new software systems. Demonstrations allow you to validate what a vendor’s software is capable of, evaluate the usability with your own eyes, and confirm the fit to your organization’s objectives.

Pre-COVID-19, such demonstrations would generally take place in person. During the middle of COVID-19, remote demos were the only option. Today, organizations have choices between in-person or remote demos. Given staffing challenges and vendor schedules, remote demos can be more efficient and flexible and are a choice worth considering.

Here are some of the key success factors and lessons learned we found conducting and completing remote demonstrations.

1. Prepare thoroughly for your remote software demo
   Establish a clear agenda, schedule, script, and plan prior to demonstrations. This helps keep everyone coordinated throughout the demos.
2. Test the software vendor’s videoconference system
   It’s important to test the vendor’s videoconference solution from all locations prior to the demonstrations. We test with vendors a week in advance.
3. Establish ground rules for the demo
   Establishing ground rules enhances meeting effectiveness, efficiency, and timeliness. For example, should questions be asked as they come up, or should participants wait until the speaker pauses? Should the chat function be utilized instead?
4. Have clear roles by location
   Clear roles help to facilitate the demonstration. Designated timekeepers, scribes, and local facilitators help the demonstration go smoothly, and decrease communication issues.
5. Be close to the microphone
   This is common sense, but when you’re in a virtual environment and you may not be on screen, be sure that you’re close to the microphone and are speaking clearly so everyone can hear you.
6. Ask vendors to build in pauses to allow for questions
   Since vendors may not be able to see a hand raised, asking vendors to build specific pauses into their demonstrations allows space for questions to be asked easily. Consider designating a team member to monitor for hands raised and to interject so that a question can be asked in a timely manner.
7. Do a virtual debrief
   At the end of each vendor demonstration, we have our own virtual meeting set up to facilitate a debrief. This allows us to capture the evaluation notes of the day prior to the next demo. Planning these in advance and having them on people’s calendars makes joining the meetings quick and seamless.

Observations and other lessons learned from remote vendor demos

After facilitating many remote software vendor demos, we’ve identified these lessons learned unique to virtual demos. 

Visibility is actually better with remote demos
Virtual demos allow everyone to see the demo on their own screen, which actually makes it easier to see than if you were doing the demo on-site. 

Different virtual platforms require orientation
We want vendors to use the tools they are accustomed to using, which means we need to use different products for different demonstrations. This is not insurmountable, but requires orientation to get used to their tools at the start of each demo.

Establishing the order in which team members provide feedback is useful
It’s helpful to establish an order in which participants speak and share their thoughts. This limits talking over each other and allows everyone to hear the thoughts of their peers clearly.

Staying engaged takes effort
Sitting all day on a remote demo and paying attention requires effort to stay engaged. Building in specific times for Q&A, calling on people by name, and designing the day with breaks can help people stay engaged all day.

Remote software demos can be highly successful, accomplish your goals, and help you meet critical timing milestones. We’ve found that post-COVID-19 when remote demos follow the guidelines above, they are often more efficient and engaging than if they had been conducted on-site. If you need assistance in implementing a healthcare IT solution, our team would be happy to help. Learn about our services. 

Do you know what would happen to your company if your CEO suddenly had to resign immediately for personal reasons? Or got seriously ill? Or worse, died? These scenarios, while rare, do happen, and many companies are not prepared. In fact, 45% of US companies do not have a contingency plan for CEO succession, according to a 2020 Harvard Business Review study.  

Do you have a plan for CEO succession? As a business owner, you may have an exit strategy in place for your company, but do you have a plan to bridge the leadership gap for you and each member of your leadership team? Does the plan include the kind of crises listed above? What would you do if your next-in-line left suddenly? 

Whether yours is a family-owned business, a company of equity partners, or a private company with a governing body, here are things to consider when you’re faced with a situation where your CEO has abruptly departed or has decided to step down.  

1. Get a plan in place. First, assess the situation and figure out your priorities. If there is already a plan for these types of circumstances, evaluate how much of it is applicable to this particular circumstance. For example, if the plan is for the stepping down or announced retirement of your CEO, but some other catastrophic event occurs, you may need to adjust key components and focus on immediate messaging rather than future positioning. If there is no plan, assign a small team to create one immediately. 

Make sure management, team leaders, and employees are aware and informed of your progress; this will help keep you organized and streamline communications. Management needs to take the lead and select a point person to document the process. Management also needs to take the lead in demeanor. Model your actions so employees can see the situation is being handled with care. Once a strategy is identified based on your priorities, draft a plan that includes what happens now, in the immediate future, and beyond. Include timetables so people know when decisions will be made.  

2. Communicate clearly, and often. In times of uncertainty, your employees will need as much specific information as you can give them. Knowing when they will hear from you, even if it is “we have nothing new to report” builds trust and keeps them vested and involved. By letting them know what your plan is, when they’ll receive another update, what to tell clients, and even what specifics you can give them (e.g., who will take over which CEO responsibility and for how long), you make them feel that they are important stakeholders, and not just bystanders. Stakeholders are more likely to be strong supporters during and after any transition that needs to take place. 

3. Pull in professional help. Depending on your resources, we recommend bringing in a professional to help you handle the situation at hand. At the very least, call in an objective opinion. You’ll need someone who can help you make decisions when emotions are running high. Bringing someone on board that can help you decipher what you have to work with and what your legal and other obligations may be, help rally your team, deal with the media, and manage emotions can be invaluable during a challenging time. Even if it’s temporary. 

4. Develop a timeline. Figure out how much time you have for the transition. For example, if your CEO is ill and will be stepping down in six months, you have time to update any existing exit strategy or succession plan you have in place. Things to include in the timeline: 

• Who is taking over what responsibilities? 
• How and what will be communicated to your company and stakeholders? 
• How and what will be communicated to the market? 
• How will you bring in the CEO's replacement, while helping the current CEO transition out of the organization? 

If you are in a crisis situation (e.g., your CEO has been suddenly forced out or asked to leave without a public explanation), you won’t have the luxury of time.  

Find out what other arrangements have been made in the past and update them as needed. Work with your PR firm to help with your change management and do the right things for all involved to salvage the company’s reputation. When handled correctly, crises don’t have to have a lasting negative impact on your business.   

5. Manage change effectively. When you’re under the gun to quickly make significant changes at the top, you need to understand how the changes may affect various parts of your company. While instinct may tell you to focus externally, don’t neglect your employees. Be as transparent as you possibly can be, present an action plan, ask for support, and get them involved in keeping the environment positive. Whether you bring in professionals or not, make sure you allow for questions, feedback, and even discord if challenging information is being revealed.  

6. Handle the media. Crisis rule #1 is making it clear who can, and who cannot, speak to the media. Assign a point person for all external inquiries and instruct employees to refer all reporter requests for comment to that point person. You absolutely do not want employees leaking sensitive information to the media. 
 
With your employees on board with the change management action plan, you can now focus on external communications and how you will present what is happening to the media. This is not completely under your control. Technology and social media changed the game in terms of speed and access to information to the public and transparency when it comes to corporate leadership. Present a message to the media quickly that coincides with your values as a company. If you are dealing with a scandal where public trust is involved and your CEO is stepping down, handling this effectively will take tact and most likely a team of professionals to help. 

Exit strategies are planning tools. Uncontrollable events occur and we don’t always get to follow our plan as we would have liked. Your organization can still be prepared and know what to do in an emergency situation or sudden crisis.  Executives move out of their roles every day, but how companies respond to these changes is reflective of the strategy in place to handle unexpected situations. Be as prepared as possible. Own your challenges. Stay accountable. 

BerryDunn can help whether you need extra assistance in your office during peak times or interim leadership support during periods of transition. We offer the expertise of a fully staffed accounting department for short-term assignments or long-term engagements―so you can focus on your business. Meet our interim assistance experts.

Read this if your CFO has recently departed, or if you're looking for a replacement.

With the post-Covid labor shortage, “the Great Resignation,” an aging workforce, and ongoing staffing concerns, almost every industry is facing challenges in hiring talented staff. To address these challenges, many organizations are hiring temporary or interim help—even for C-suite positions such as Chief Financial Officers (CFOs).

You may be thinking, “The CFO is a key business partner in advising and collaborating with the CEO and developing a long-term strategy for the organization; why would I hire a contractor to fill this most-important role?” Hiring an interim CFO may be a good option to consider in certain circumstances. Here are three situations where temporary help might be the best solution for your organization.

Your organization has grown

If your company has grown since you created your finance department, or your controller isn’t ready or suited for a promotion, bringing on an interim CFO can be a natural next step in your company’s evolution, without having to make a long-term commitment. It can allow you to take the time and fully understand what you need from the role — and what kind of person is the best fit for your company’s future.

BerryDunn's Kathy Parker, leader of the Boston-based Outsourced Accounting group, has worked with many companies to help them through periods of transition. "As companies grow, many need team members at various skill levels, which requires more money to pay for multiple full-time roles," she shared. "Obtaining interim CFO services allows a company to access different skill levels while paying a fraction of the cost. As the company grows, they can always scale its resources; the beauty of this model is the flexibility."

If your company is looking for greater financial skill or advice to expand into a new market, or turn around an underperforming division, you may want to bring on an outsourced CFO with a specific set of objectives and timeline in mind. You can bring someone on board to develop growth strategies, make course corrections, bring in new financing, and update operational processes, without necessarily needing to keep those skills in the organization once they finish their assignment. Your company benefits from this very specific skill set without the expense of having a talented but expensive resource on your permanent payroll.

Your CFO has resigned

The best-laid succession plans often go astray. If that’s the case when your CFO departs, your organization may need to outsource the CFO function to fill the gap. When your company loses the leader of company-wide financial functions, you may need to find someone who can come in with those skills and get right to work. While they may need guidance and support on specifics to your company, they should be able to adapt quickly and keep financial operations running smoothly. Articulating short-term goals and setting deadlines for naming a new CFO can help lay the foundation for a successful engagement.

You don’t have the budget for a full-time CFO

If your company is the right size to have a part-time CFO, outsourcing CFO functions can be less expensive than bringing on a full-time in-house CFO. Depending on your operational and financial rhythms, you may need the CFO role full-time in parts of the year, and not in others. Initially, an interim CFO can bring a new perspective from a professional who is coming in with fresh eyes and experience outside of your company.

After the immediate need or initial crisis passes, you can review your options. Once the temporary CFO’s agreement expires, you can bring someone new in depending on your needs, or keep the contract CFO in place by extending their assignment.

Considerations for hiring an interim CFO

Making the decision between hiring someone full-time or bringing in temporary contract help can be difficult. Although it oversimplifies the decision a bit, a good rule of thumb is: the more strategic the role will be, the more important it is that you have a long-term person in the job. CFOs can have a wide range of duties, including, but not limited to:

• Financial risk management, including planning and record-keeping
• Management of compliance and regulatory requirements
• Creating and monitoring reliable control systems
• Debt and equity financing
• Financial reporting to the Board of Directors

If the focus is primarily overseeing the financial functions of the organization and/or developing a skilled finance department, you can rely — at least initially — on a CFO for hire.

Regardless of what you choose to do, your decision will have an impact on the financial health of your organization — from avoiding finance department dissatisfaction or turnover to capitalizing on new market opportunities. Getting outside advice or a more objective view may be an important part of making the right choice for your company.

BerryDunn can help whether you need extra assistance in your office during peak times or interim leadership support during periods of transition. We offer the expertise of a fully staffed accounting department for short-term assignments or long-term engagements―so you can focus on your business. Meet our interim assistance experts.

Editor's note: read this if you are a CFO, controller, accountant, or business manager.

We auditors can be annoying, especially when we send multiple follow-up emails after being in the field for consecutive days. Over the years, we have worked with our clients to create best practices you can use to prepare for our arrival on site for year-end work. Time and time again these have proven to reduce follow-up requests and can help you and your organization get back to your day-to-day operations quickly. 

1. Reconcile early and often to save time.
   Performing reconciliations to the general ledger for an entire year's worth of activity is a very time consuming process. Reconciling accounts on a monthly or quarterly basis will help identify potential variances or issues that need to be investigated; these potential variances and issues could be an underlying problem within the general ledger or control system that, if not addressed early, will require more time and resources at year-end. Accounts with significant activity (cash, accounts receivable, investments, fixed assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses and debt), should be reconciled on a monthly basis. Accounts with less activity (prepaids, other assets, accrued expenses, other liabilities and equity) can be reconciled on a different schedule.
2. Scan the trial balance to avoid surprises.
   As auditors, one of the first procedures we perform is to scan the trial balance for year-over-year anomalies. This allows us to identify any significant irregularities that require immediate follow up. Does the year-over-year change make sense? Should this account be a debit balance or a credit balance? Are there any accounts with exactly the same balance as the prior year and should they have the same balance? By performing this task and answering these questions prior to year-end fieldwork, you will be able to reduce our follow up by providing explanations ahead of time or by making correcting entries in advance, if necessary. 
3. Provide support to be proactive.
   On an annual basis, your organization may go through changes that will require you to provide us documented contractual support.  Such events may include new or a refinancing of debt, large fixed asset additions, new construction, renovations, or changes in ownership structure.  Gathering and providing the documentation for these events prior to fieldwork will help reduce auditor inquiries and will allow us to gain an understanding of the details of the transaction in advance of performing substantive audit procedures. 
4. Utilize the schedule request to stay organized.
   Each member of your team should have a clear understanding of their role in preparing for year-end. Creating columns on the schedule request for responsibility, completion date and reviewer assigned will help maintain organization and help ensure all items are addressed and available prior to arrival of the audit team. 
5. Be available to maximize efficiency. 
   It is important for key members of the team to be available during the scheduled time of the engagement.  Minimizing commitments outside of the audit engagement during on site fieldwork and having all year-end schedules prepared prior to our arrival will allow us to work more efficiently and effectively and help reduce follow up after fieldwork has been completed. 

Careful consideration and performance of these tasks will help your organization better prepare for the year-end audit engagement, reduce lingering auditor inquiries, and ultimately reduce the time your internal resources spend on the annual audit process. See you soon. 

The COVID-19 emergency has caused CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to expand eligibility for expedited payments to Medicare providers and suppliers for the duration of the public health emergency.

Accelerated payments have been available to providers/suppliers in the past due to a disruption in claims submission or claims processing, mainly due to natural disasters. Because of the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS has expanded the accelerated payment program to provide necessary funds to eligible providers/suppliers who submit a request to their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and meet the required qualifications.

Eligibility requirements―Providers/suppliers who:

1. Have billed Medicare for claims within 180 days immediately prior to the date of signature on the provider’s/supplier’s request form,
2. Are not in bankruptcy,
3. Are not under active medical review or program integrity investigation, and
4. Do not have any outstanding delinquent Medicare overpayments.

Amount of payment:
Eligible providers/suppliers will request a specific amount for an accelerated payment. Most providers can request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a three-month period. Inpatient acute care hospitals and certain other hospitals can request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a six-month period. Critical access hospitals (CAHs) can request up to 125% of the Medicare payment for a six-month period.

Processing time:
CMS has indicated that MACs will work to review and issue payment within seven calendar days of receiving the request.

Repayment, recoupment, and reconciliation:
The December 2020 Bipartisan-Bicameral Omnibus COVID Relief Deal revised the repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline on the Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program as identified below. 

Application:
Applications for accelerated payments can be found on each MACs' website. CMS has established COVID-19 hotlines at each MAC that are operational Monday through Friday to assist providers with accelerated or advance payment concerns. Access your designated MACs' website here.

The MAC will review the application to ensure the eligibility requirements are met. The provider/supplier will be notified of approval or denial by mail or email. If the request is approved, the MAC will issue the accelerated payment within seven calendar days from the request.

When funding is approved, the requested amount is compared to a database with amounts calculated by Medicare and provides funding at the lessor of the two amounts. The current form allows the provider to request the maximum payment amount as calculated by CMS or a lesser specified amount.

We are here to help
If you have questions or need more information about your specific situation, please contact the healthcare consulting team. We’re here to help.

Read this if your company is seeking assistance under the PPP.

With additional funding for the PPP pending, we’re updating this blog post with more recent information.

This information is current as of April 21, 2020.

The Treasury Department has issued guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions that alters some of the original assumptions around PPP:

1. At least 75% of the forgiven amount should be used for payroll (changed due to anticipated high demand for program)
2. Repayment of non-forgiven amounts are now repaid over 2 years at 1.0% interest (not 2 years and 0.5% as previously stated or 10 years and 4% as in the CARES Act)

Although the “covered period” is February 15, 2020 to June 30, 2020, forgiveness of the loan is based on expenses (primarily payroll) during the eight-week period after the loan is received. Loan amounts should be disbursed within 10 calendar days of being approved.

Important to note:

1. Questions around size:
   1. 500 employees. The SBA has clarified that it measures employees consistent with the existing 7(a) loan program guidance. See CFR Section 121.106 for details.
   2. The SBA has also clarified that if a business meets both tests in the “alternative size standard”, it qualifies to participate in the program
      1. Maximum tangible net worth of the business is not more than $15 million.
      2. Average net income after Federal income taxes for the two full fiscal years before the date of application is not more than $5 million. 
   3. If the existing SBA definition of a small business for your industry (found on SBA websites) has over 500 employees, your business may qualify if you meet that expanded definition. 
2. The CARES Act states that loans taken from January 31, 2020, until “covered loans are made available may be refinanced as part of a covered loan.”
3. People may want to tap into available credit now. If they are granted a covered loan (PPP loan), they can refinance. Given anticipated demand, it may take time to get the PPP loan processed.
4. Participation in PPP (Section 1102 and 1106 of the CARES Act) precludes participation in the Employee Retention Credit (Section 2301).
5. The IRS clarified that companies may still defer Payment of Employer Payroll Taxes (Section 2302) even if participating in PPP until a decision on forgiveness is reached by your lender. This is a change from our prior understanding.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)

EIDLs are available through the SBA and were expanded under section 1110 of the CARES Act. Eligible are businesses with 500 or fewer employees, including ESOPs, cooperatives, and others. Up to $2 million per loan. Up to 30 years to repay. Comes with an emergency advance (available within 3 days) of $10,000 that does not have to be repaid – even if your loan application is turned down. This $10,000 does not impact participation in other programs/sections of the CARES Act. Some portion of the EIDL may reduce your loan forgiveness under PPP, but receiving an EIDL does not preclude you from participating in the PPP.

From the Treasury: Small business PPP

The Paycheck Protection Program provides small businesses with funds to pay up to 8 weeks of payroll costs including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. More details at treasury.gov.

Fully forgiven

Funds are provided in the form of loans that will be fully forgiven when used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll). Loan payments will also be deferred for six months. No collateral or personal guarantees are required. Neither the government nor lenders will charge small businesses any fees.

Must keep employees on the payroll—or rehire quickly

Forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease.

All small businesses eligible

Small businesses with 500 or fewer employees—including nonprofits, veterans organizations, tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, and independent contractors— are eligible. Businesses with more than 500 employees are eligible in certain industries.

When to apply

Starting April 3, 2020, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply. Starting April 10, 2020, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply.

How to apply

You can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, or Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating. All loans will have the same terms regardless of lender or borrower. Find a list of participating lenders and additional information and full terms at sba.gov.

The Paycheck Protection Program is implemented by the Small Business Administration with support from the Department of the Treasury. Lenders should also visit sba.gov or coronavirus.gov for more information.

BerryDunn COVID-19 resources

• CARES ACT impact on SBA loans
• COVID-19 resource page

We’re here to help. If you have questions about the PPP, contact a BerryDunn professional.

Read this if you want more information about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Most likely you have heard of the PPP within the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed into law March 27, 2020. Below, we’ve shared some of the questions we have heard from many of our clients. If you need more information or have questions regarding your specific question, please contact us. 

Question #1: What was the PPP designed for? 
Answer: The PPP was designed with the goal of keeping American workers paid and employed. It aims to accomplish this by issuing loans to qualified businesses so that they can continue paying employees and other qualified expenses.

Question #2: Do you or your business qualify for this? 
Answer: There are several considerations when determining whether or not a business qualifies. For more information, see this recent blog post from Seth Webber, which address a number of these considerations. 

Question #3: What should the PPP loan be used to cover in your business?
Answer: The intent of allowable uses includes: (i) payroll costs, including (a) employee salaries, commissions, or similar compensations, (b) group health care benefits, (c) paid vacation, parental, sick, medical, or family leave, (d) allowances for dismissal or separation, (e) retirement benefits, and (f) state or local tax assessed on the compensation on employee;  (ii) payments of interest on any mortgage obligation, but not prepayment or payment of principal amounts; (ii) rent (including rent under a lease agreement); (iv) utilities; and (v) interest on any other debt obligations incurred before February 15, 2020. However, certain payroll costs are excluded, including salaries and wages which annualized amounts would result in compensation over $100,000 and sick and family leave wages for which a credit is allowed under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.  

Additionally, you should consider the time period your allowable expenses are designated for. The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) issued a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and responses to these FAQs as of April 10, 2020, Paycheck Protection Program Loans FAQs. Within these FAQs, Question 20 asked, “The amount of forgiveness of a PPP loan depends on the borrower’s payroll costs over an eight-week period; when does that eight-week period begin?” The SBA and Treasury noted, “The eight-week period begins on the date the lender makes the first disbursement of the PPP loan to the borrower. The lender must make the first disbursement of the loan no later than ten (10) calendar days from the date of loan approval.” 

Question #4: What portion of the loan, if any, can be forgiven?
Answer: The Treasury Department issued guidance on March 31, 2020 indicating that at least 75% of the forgiven amount should be used for qualified payroll costs. Although the covered period is specified as February 15, 2020 through June 30, 2020, forgiveness amounts of the loan are based on expenses (primarily payroll) during the eight-week period following the receipt of the loan. There are other aspects of the forgiveness provisions that impact the actual amount forgiven, including maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels, with the overall forgiveness amount being reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease more than 25%.

Question #5: What about the portion of your loan that is not forgiven?
Answer: For the portion of loan not forgiven, the life and terms of the residual loan appear favorable. Current guidance indicates a repayment period of two year loan at 1% interest. Included within this is a six-month deferral period on principal repayment. The loan does not require collateral or a personal guarantee.

Question #6: How should you keep track of the funding and allowable costs?
Answer: Best practice would be to set up a separate banking account. This will allow you to bifurcate the funding source and offset that amount by costs tracked over the covered period directly. This allows you to use other cash reserves and funding sources to meet other expense needs during the covered period. The funds need to be brought over (into that separate banking account) within 10 days of the application being approved.

Question #7: What other resources are available if the PPP is not a good fit for you?
Answer: There are additional programs available through the Small Business Administration (SBA) including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which features an advance amount (EIDL Emergency Grant) of up to $10,000. Guidance remains outstanding on exact implications of the EIDL Emergency Grant amount with some SBA offices pointing to $1,000 per employee up to a total max of $10,000. This EIDL Emergency Grant does not have to be repaid, but if you subsequently receive funding through the PPP, your forgiveness amount will be reduced by the EIDL Emergency Grant amount. The EIDL program also features a max life of 30 year loan with interest rates of 3.75% and 2.75% for entities that are for-profit and non-profit, respectively. More information on this is detailed in Dave Erb’s recent blog post.

If you do not need to make use of the PPP and EIDL programs, but still face significant downturns in your revenue base, tax relief in the form of the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) may also be an option. The provisions of the ERC within the CARES Act specify eligibility as, an employer that does not participate in the PPP and: (i) a complete or partial shutdown in operations; or (ii) at least a 50% decline in gross receipts, based on quarterly comparison from 2020 to 2019. The ERC allows for a tax credit of 50% of qualified wages (max wages of $10,000 per employee and max credit of $5,000 per employee). For more information on the ERC provisions, see Bill Enck’s blog post.

As developments continue to unfold and changes in guidance continue to emerge, the BerryDunn Recovery Advisory Team can help you stay informed through the BerryDunn COVID-19 Resource Center.

Focus: Disaster Loan Program and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

Background

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act will provide $562 million to cover administrative expenses and program subsidy for the US Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans and small business programs. 

Additionally, the CARES Act specifically provides the authorization for $349 billion for the SBA 7(a) program through December 31, 2020. 

SBA disaster loan program (updated for CARES Act) highlights

General
The US Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus and COVID-19.

Eligibility 
Industry may be subject to different standards, but the general rule of thumb is that the SBA defines most small businesses as having less than 500 people, both calculated on a standalone basis and together with its affiliates (see PPP below for more information). A company’s average annual sales may also be used for the small business designation. 

Historically, businesses that are not eligible for this program included casinos, charitable organizations, religious organizations, agricultural enterprises and real estate developers that are primarily involved in subdividing real property into lots and developing it for resale for themselves (other real estate entities may apply, such as landlords). 

However, the CARES Act expanded eligibility to include (i) any individual operating as a sole proprietor or independent contractor; (ii) private non-profits and (iii) Tribal businesses, cooperatives and ESOPs with fewer than 500 employees during January 31, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

If the entity has bad credit or has defaulted on a prior SBA loan, the entity is not eligible. The CARES Act removed the credit elsewhere requirement (i.e., previously if the business had credit available through another source, such as a line of credit, it was ineligible). 

Basic terms

• Loan amount
  The lesser of $2 million or an amount determined that that borrower can repay (i.e., underwriting requirement).
• Maximum term
  Up to 30 years and all payments on these loans will be deferred for 12 months from disbursement date. Interest will accrue.
• Interest rate
  3.75% for for-profit business and 2.75% for a non-profit entity.
• Collateral
  Loans for under $25,000 do not require collateral.  Any person with an interest in the company worth 20% or more must be a guarantor; however the CARES Act eliminates the guaranty requirement on advances and loans under $200,000. 
• Use of proceeds
  Loan proceeds may be used to pay fixed debts (including short-term notes and balloon payments that are due within the next 12 months), payroll, accounts payable, and other bills the borrower would have to pay that but for the disaster would have been paid, such as mortgage payments. Landlords and other passive entities are eligible. Agriculture-related entities are eligible, but farmers are not. Borrowers must maintain proof of how the loan proceeds were used for three years from the date of disbursement. Borrowers cannot use the proceeds to expand their business, buy assets, make repairs to real estate or refinance long-term debt. 
• Forgiveness
  No forgiveness provision.

Applying
Loan applications are available here. 

Length of time for funding
Upon submittal of a completed application, it can take 18-21 days to be approved and another four to five business days for funding. However, the SBA has never dealt with this much volume so expect delays.  

If funding is needed immediately, contact any SBA partnering non-profit lender and request an SBA microloan up to $50,000 or contact a commercial lending partner to see if they offer SBA express loans up to $1,000,000 (CARES Act increases this from $350,000 to $1,000,000) and/or SBA 7(a) loans up to $5 million. The 7(a) loans are typically processed within 30 days, while microloans and express loans are processed even more quickly. 

The CARES Act has also established an emergency grant to allow eligible entities who have applied for a disaster loan because of COVID-19 to request an advance of up to $10,000 on that loan. The SBA is to distribute the advance within three days. 

This advance does not need to be repaid, even if the applicant is denied a Disaster Loan. ($10,000,000,000 is appropriated for this program and funds will be distributed on a first come, first served basis). An applicant must self-certify that it is an eligible entity prior to receiving such an advance. Advances may be used for providing sick leave to employees, maintaining payroll, meeting increased costs to obtain materials, rent or mortgage payments, and payment of business obligations that cannot be paid due to loss of revenues. Applicants must apply directly with the SBA for this program.

Other considerations
Each company should review any current loan obligations and confirm that it does not include a provision forbidding that applicant from acquiring additional debt. If the document does, the applicant will want to discuss a waiver of that provision with its current lender. The lender should be amenable to this waiver and the applicant will want the waiver verified in writing. The lender should be amenable because the SBA disaster loan can be used to satisfy monthly debt obligations and any collateral taken by the SBA would be subordinate, if the same collateral secures the lender’s loan.

Under the CARES Act, Congress has also directed the SBA to use funds to make principal and interest payments, along with associated fees that may be owed on an existing SBA 7(a), 504 or micro-loan program covered loan, for a period of six months from the next payment due date. Any loan that may currently be on deferment will receive the six months of covered payments once the deferral period has ended. This provision will also cover loans that are made up to six months after the enactment of the CARES Act. If the loan maturity date conflicts with benefiting from this amendment, the lender can extend the maturity date of the loan. 

Newly enacted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

General
This new program will be offered with a 100% SBA guaranty through December 31, 2020, to lenders, after which the guaranty percentage will return to 75% for loans above $150,000 and 85% for loans below that amount. 

Eligibility 
A business, including a qualifying nonprofit organization, that was in operation on February 15, 2020, and either had employees for whom it paid salaries and payroll taxes or paid independent contractors, is eligible for PPP loans if it (a) meets the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code-based size standard or other applicable 7(a) loan size standard, both alone and together with its affiliates; or (b) has an employee headcount that is lower than the greater of (i) 500 employees or (ii) the employee size standard, if any, under the applicable NAICS Code. 

Businesses that fall within NAICS Code 72, which applies to accommodations and food services, are also eligible if they employ no more than 500 people per physical location. Sole proprietorships, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals are also eligible. It is unclear as of what date the size test will be applied, but historically, SBA size tests have been applied on the date of application for financing. More information on the NAICS-Code-based size standards can be found here. 

Borrowers are required to provide a good faith certification that the loan is necessary due to economic conditions brought about because of COVID-19 and that the borrower will use the funds to retain workers, maintain payroll and pay utilities, lease and/or mortgage payments.

The credit elsewhere test is waived under this program. 

Lenders shall base their underwriting on whether a business was operational on February 15, 2020, and had employees for whom it was responsible for or paid for services from an independent contractor. The legislation has directed lenders not to base their determinations on repayment ability at the present time because of the effects of COVID-19.

Applicants for SBA loan programs, including PPP loans, typically must include their affiliates when applying size tests to determine eligibility. That means that employees of other businesses under common control would count toward the maximum number of permitted employees. A business that is controlled by a private equity sponsor would likely be deemed an affiliate of the other businesses controlled by that sponsor and could thus be ineligible for PPP loans. However, the CARES Act waives the affiliation requirement for the following applicants:  

1. Businesses within NAICS Code 72 with no more than 500 employees
2. Franchises with codes assigned by the SBA, as reflected on the SBA franchise registry
3. Businesses that receive financial assistance from one or more small business investment companies (SBIC) 

Basic terms

• Loan amount
  Lesser of $10 million or 2.5 times the applicant’s average monthly payroll costs of the business over the year prior to the making of the loan (practically, this may become the year prior to the loan application), excluding the prorated portion of any annual compensation above $100,000 for any person. Note that under the CARES Act, “payroll costs” include vacation, parental, family, medical, and sick leave; allowances for dismissal or separation; payments for group health care benefits, including insurance premiums; and retirement benefits. Calculations vary slightly for seasonal businesses and businesses that were not in operation between February 15 and June 30, 2019. To the extent that a SBA Disaster Loan was used for a purpose other than those permitted for PPP Loans, the Disaster Loans may be refinanced with proceeds of PPP loans, in which case the maximum available PPP loan amount is increased by the amount of the Disaster Loans being refinanced. 
• Maximum term
  Payments will be deferred for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12. SBA is directed to issue guidance on the terms of this deferral. Any portion of the PPP loan that is not forgiven (see below) on or before December 31, 2020, shall automatically be a term loan for a maximum of 10 years. For PPP loans, the SBA has waived prepayment penalties.
• Fees
  SBA will waive the guaranty fee and annual fee applicable to other 7(a) loans. 
• Interest rate
  Maximum rate of 4%.
• Collateral
  The standard requirements of collateral and a personal guaranty are waived under this program. Accordingly, there will be no recourse to owners or borrowers for nonpayment, except to the extent proceeds are used for an unauthorized purpose.
• Use of proceeds
  This loan can be used for: (i) payroll support, excluding the prorated portion of any compensation above $100,000 per year for any person; (ii) group healthcare benefits costs and insurance premiums; (iii) mortgage interest (but not prepayments or principal payments) and rent payments incurred in the ordinary course of business, and (iv) utility payments. 
• Forgiveness
  A borrower will be eligible for loan forgiveness related to a PPP loan in an amount equal to 8 weeks of payroll costs, and the interest on mortgage payments (not principal) made in the ordinary course of business, rent payments, or utility payments so long as all payments were obligations of the borrower prior to February 15, 2020. Payroll costs are limited to compensation for a single employee to be no more than $100,000 in wages and the amount of forgiveness cannot exceed the principal loan amount. 
  
  The amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced proportionally by any reduction in the borrower’s workforce, based on the full-time equivalent employees versus the period from either February 15, 2019, through June 30, 2019, or January 1, 2020, through February 29, 2020, as selected by the borrower, or a reduction of more than 25% of any employee’s compensation, measured against the most recent full quarter. If a borrower has already had to lay off employees due to COVID-19, employers are encouraged to rehire them by not being penalized for having a reduced payroll at the beginning of the covered period, which means the initial 8 week period after the loan’s origination date. 
  
  Accordingly, reductions in the number of employees or compensation occurring between February 15, 2020, and 30 days after enactment of the CARES Act will generally be ignored to the extent reversed by June 30, 2020. Any additional wages that may be paid to tipped workers are also covered in the calculation of payroll forgiveness. Borrowers must keep accurate records and document their payments because lenders will need to verify the payments to allow for loan forgiveness. Borrowers will not have to include any forgiven indebtedness as taxable income. 

Applying
A company needs to apply on or before June 30, 2020, with a lender who is currently approved as a 7(a) lender or who is approved by the SBA and the Treasury Department to become a PPP lender. PPP lenders have delegated authority to make and approve PPP loan, with no additional SBA approval required. 

There are certain portions of the CARES Act that require SBA to provide further guidance so there may be some slight changes to the rules and procedures as best practices present themselves. 

We recommend contacting existing 7(a) lenders as soon as possible to learn what you will need to provide for underwriting and approving a PPP loan. 

We are here to help
Please contact a BerryDunn professional if you have any questions, or would like to discuss your specific situation.