HRSA publishes the FINAL Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual — effective on release, comment window already ran

HRSA published a Notice of Availability for the final Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual (Federal Register document 2026-16348, 91 FR 51722, published August 11, 2026). Two features make this immediately operational.

First, the notice states the final Scope Manual 'takes effect upon release' — it is operative now, with no phase-in period. The comment window on this policy already ran, on the December 9, 2024 draft.

Second, it names its audience in words: the manual applies to 'all health centers that apply for and receive a federal award under the Health Center Program, as authorized by section 330 of the PHS Act, as well as section 330 subrecipient organizations, and health centers designated as Health Center Program look-alikes.' Subrecipients and look-alikes are explicitly in scope, not just direct grantees.

The draft was released December 9, 2024; HRSA reports receiving 2,767 comments from 135 organizations and individuals and says it made a substantial number of updates in response. Scope discipline: the notice itself makes no payment, PPS, FTCA, or 340B claim — any consequence a scope change carries for billing, malpractice coverage, or drug pricing is inference on our part, not something this notice states.

It does interact directly with the HRSA Form 5A/5B information-collection reopening already in this feed (comments close September 28), since Forms 5A and 5B are the instruments that document scope. Honest limit: bphc.hrsa.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests, so the manual PDF itself has not been read here — only the Federal Register notice.