Summarizing the new “Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual”

On August 11, 2026, HRSA released the long-awaited Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual. As a companion to this manual, they also released the Summary of Public Comments and HRSA Responses on the Draft Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual.

Since that time, the RegLantern team has received numerous questions from health centers asking for guidance and a breakdown of the key areas that health center leaders should know are addressed in these documents. Our team of HRSA and FTCA experts is currently reviewing the document and is planning to release more guidance information by the end of August.

For now, HRSA has advised:

• Read the Scope Manual and use it for current and future scope of project decisions and requests.

• HRSA will review change in scope (CIS) requests using the Scope Manual effective immediately.

• In November 2026, HRSA will update its systems to simplify CIS submissions.

• Continue using the current Site Visit Protocol (SVP) until HRSA updates the SVP to align with the Scope Manual in February.

• In 2027, HRSA will work with health centers to review and confirm approved scopes of project for accuracy. This may result in corrections or changes to sites, services, or activities to align with the Scope Manual.

• HRSA will update its systems, processes, and webpages in a phased approach to reflect the Scope Manual.

According to HRSA, The Scope Manual:

• Modernizes – It consolidates all scope of project policy into one document, incorporates updated grant regulations, and aligns with the Compliance Manual.

• Strengthens Programmatic Oversight – It provides greater clarity and supports rapid decision-making.

• Ensures Accountability – Helps HRSA make sure health centers follow program requirements and use federal funds properly.

• Simplifies – It reduces administrative burden by removing outdated forms and requirements.

Additionally, HRSA is updating the Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) scope module in November 2026 to simplify the change in scope (CIS) request process and strengthen the CIS review process. HRSA issued Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2026-04: Health Center Program Scope of Project System Improvements to provide more detail on the changes.

During these updates, the EHBs CIS module will be unavailable October 20–November 19, 2026. The updated module will reopen on November 20, 2026.

Other Important Deadlines:

• October 19 (11:59 p.m. ET): Submit any new CIS requests. HRSA will close requests not submitted by this deadline.

• October 24 (11:59 p.m. ET): Resubmit any CIS requests returned for clarification (Change Requests). HRSA will close requests not resubmitted by this deadline.

• November 19 (5:00 p.m. ET): Applications not submitted to HRSA by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 19, 2026, will lose data you entered in scope-related forms (Form 5A: Services Provided, Form 5B: Service Sites, and Form 5C: Other Activities/Locations). You will not need to recomplete your entire application; you will only need to re-enter data into these three scope-related forms (Form 5A, Form 5B, Form 5C) once the system reopens on November 20. This does not impact applications with read-only scope-related forms

How to Prepare for the EHBs Updates:

• If you expect to submit a CIS before October 19, contact your Project Officer as soon as possible.

• If your CIS request is not urgent, consider waiting until November 20 to use the updated CIS module and improved checklists.

• Submit CIS requests before the October deadlines if they are time-sensitive, and ensure they are accurate and complete to help avoid review delays.

• If you need to add a temporary site due to a declared emergency during the closure period, contact BPHC through the BPHC Contact Form and contact your Project Officer.

• If you have questions about the impact of these updates, reach out to us using the BPHC Contact Form.

Stay tuned as our team further reviews the guidance!

If you have any pressing questions or want to talk with our team about how we can help you and your health center, please schedule a 15-minute call with us!