Cares Money Expenditures Deadline Approaching

Time is running out to use CARES funds! Since the CARES Act was passed in March, transit agencies have since been waiting months for the promised funding. Now that the monies are available, there isn’t much time to use it. December 30th is the deadline to use CARES funding to equip your buses with PPE that will better protect your passengers and drivers.

According to the U.S. Treasury, money can be used for any necessary COVID-19 public health expense. This means expenditures must be directly related to the public health emergency posed by COVID. “Funds may not be used to fill shortfalls in government revenue to cover expenditures that would not otherwise qualify under the statute,” states the Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance document.

While considering how to use the money available, keep in mind that CARES money must be used only for eligible expenses incurred between March 1st and December 30th of 2020. As the U.S. Treasury defines incurred, “performance or delivery must occur during the covered period [March 1st - December 30th] but payment of funds need not be made during that time.” For examples of eligible and non-eligible expenditures using CARES money, read pages 3-5 of the Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance, which was published by the U.S. Treasury.

In addition, money can be used for expenses not accounted for in the most recently approved budget prior to March 27th, 2020. “A cost meets this requirement if either (a) the cost cannot lawfully be funded using a line item, allotment, or allocation within that budget or (b) the cost is for a substantially different use from any expected use of funds in such a line item, allotment, or allocation” (Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance).

The December 30th deadline is quickly approaching. Visit our COVID products page to equip your paratransit buses with PPE that will help make the transit environment safer and more comfortable for both passengers and drivers.