Budget kit
Write it into the subaward properly.
Line language reviewers can see, role separation they expect, and an evaluation shape that matches state reporting. Templates for your grants office.
Can RHT funds pay for software?
It depends on your state's approved RHT plan. The RHT law lists software for significant information technology advances as one permitted use of funds. Your state's plan decides which of those uses it funds. CMS rules and your grants office decide whether a specific cost is allowable. DispatchCare is a VectorCare product. VectorCare is a vendor or subcontractor to the subrecipient. It does not administer RHT funds and does not decide allowability.
Start with your state's RHT page and its subaward guidance. The state table below links each official page we could verify. For the federal rules, read permitted use F in the CMS notice of funding opportunity and the cost principles in 2 CFR 200.403.
Some lines can count as administrative costs. The law lets a state use no more than 10% of its allotment for each budget period on administrative costs. Your state identifies which lines count toward that limit.
Name each cost as its own budget line:
Who this kit is for
State RHT offices and subrecipients (hospitals, EMS agencies, health centers, coalitions) writing plan narratives, RFAs, or budget justifications for a new or expanded community paramedicine / mobile integrated healthcare program.
If you already know what RHT is, you are in the right place. This page is for the moment you need adaptable line names, a clean vendor vs subrecipient split, and an evaluation outline that survives grants-office review.
DispatchCare is a VectorCare product. VectorCare is a vendor or subcontractor to the subrecipient. It does not administer RHT funds and does not decide allowability.
Typical budget lines
Names vary by state. The distinctions matter more than the labels.
Coordination software
Referral intake, mission broadcast, status tracking, and outcome capture for the program's cohort. This is patient logistics for scheduled community care. It is not a 911 CAD and not an ePCR.
Implementation and onboarding
Configuration of protocols, territories, and escalation rules. Training for coordinators and field crews.
Evaluation and reporting
Scorecard build, quarterly export preparation, and the data work behind the required narrative. Design capture so the state can monitor without a separate data call later.
Interoperability
EHR referral launch and ePCR / NEMSIS export mapping as a separate visible line when the program needs them.
Where each state posts its RHT budget template
States update these pages. Check the agency page before you file.
| State | Agency | Official page | What is there | Accessed | Our state page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Alaska Department of Health | https://health.alaska.gov/en/education/rural-health-transformation-program/for-rhtp-applicants/ | Applicant resource guide and budget training. The budget templates sit in the application portal. | Oct 10, 2026 | Alaska |
| Colorado | Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing | https://hcpf.colorado.gov/rural-health-transformation-program | Budget workbook template (updated Jul 23, 2026) and RFA applicant guidance | Oct 10, 2026 | Colorado |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Office of Health Strategy | https://portal.ct.gov/ohs/-/media/ohs/rural-health-transformation/26ohs001_rhtp_nofo_qa_final.pdf | NOFO Q&A, #26OHS001 | Oct 10, 2026 | Connecticut |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Health | https://ldh.la.gov/assets/docs/Secretary/RHTP/TelehealthInfrastructureQuestions-and-Answers-1July2026_FINAL.pdf | Q&A, Telehealth Infrastructure for Rural Access Program (Jul 1, 2026) | Oct 10, 2026 | Louisiana |
| Montana | Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services | https://dphhs.mt.gov/assets/RuralHealthTransformation/YourGuidetoApplyingforRHTPGrants.pdf | Applicant guide (budget estimate with timeline) | Oct 10, 2026 | Montana |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Health and Human Services | https://www.hhs.nd.gov/rhtp-funding-guidance | Budget template guidance (subrecipient and contractor templates) | Oct 10, 2026 | North Dakota |
| Oregon | Oregon Health Authority (RFGP on OregonBuys) | https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=S-44300-00016498&external=true&parentUrl=close | RFGP with the Document C budget narrative template (Addendum 4) | Oct 10, 2026 | Oregon |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Human Services | https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/programs-services/healthcare/rural-health/rhtp-funding-opportunities | Budget worksheet and budget narrative templates | Oct 10, 2026 | Pennsylvania |
| Vermont | Vermont Agency of Human Services, Health Care Reform | https://healthcarereform.vermont.gov/document/rhtp-appendix-subrecipient-grant-budget-template | Budget template (Appendix A, RHTP Subrecipient Grant Budget Template) | Oct 10, 2026 | Vermont |
Official page TBD: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Why three (or four) visible lines beat one "program" line
Name the lines separately so reviewers can see each cost: coordination software (referral intake, mission broadcast, status, and outcome capture); implementation and onboarding (protocols, territories, escalation, training); evaluation and reporting (measures, dashboards, quarterly packs); and, when needed, interoperability (EHR referral launch and ePCR/NEMSIS mapping). Bundling them into one "program" line invites a cut of the part that is hardest to see. This is patient logistics for scheduled community care — not a 911 CAD and not an ePCR.
A subaward narrative that names the coordination layer and the evaluation plan is easier to approve than one that names only staff. See the companion guide for workforce / technology / evaluation as three narrative lines.
Scope of work: subrecipient vs vendor
Keep compliance duties with the subrecipient. Keep product delivery with the vendor.
| Subrecipient (hospital, EMS, FQHC, coalition) | Vendor / subcontractor (VectorCare) |
|---|---|
| Owns the approved plan language and budget justification | Delivers coordination software and agreed onboarding |
| Runs procurement under 2 CFR 200 and org policy | Does not run the subrecipient's procurement for them |
| Reports to the state on the state's cadence | Supplies exports and scorecard fields the subrecipient uses |
| Retains program records as required | Retains product data per contract and BAA |
| Decides allowability with state + CMS + grants office | Does not administer RHT funds or determine allowability |
DispatchCare is a VectorCare product. VectorCare is a vendor or subcontractor to RHT subrecipients and does not administer RHT funds.
Non-supplantation in one screen
Non-supplantation asks whether the cost would have been paid anyway. For many states, scheduled preventive community paramedicine visits are not an existing billable service, so coordination and evaluation for a new or newly expanded program are new costs attached to new activity. Say that plainly, and keep emergency response and existing billing on existing funding. DispatchCare is positioned as new program infrastructure plus evaluation — not a replacement for ePCR, CAD, or an existing billable service.
Say
Funds establish a new CP service line and the coordination layer it requires. Emergency response funding stays on existing sources.
Avoid
Moving already-funded ambulance or ePCR costs into the subaward. Leaving the emergency vs program boundary implicit.
What the kit contains
- Draft budget-line descriptions you can adapt, with unit and basis-of-cost notes
- An evaluation plan outline: cohort definition, measures, data sources, and cadence
- A scope-of-work template separating subrecipient duties from vendor duties
- A non-supplantation paragraph you can adapt to your program's facts
- A record-retention and 2 CFR 200 checklist for the program file
Templates for your grants office. Not legal advice.
Last reviewed:
Questions buyers ask
It depends on your state's approved RHT plan. The RHT law lists software for significant information technology advances as one permitted use of funds. Your state's plan decides which of those uses it funds. CMS rules and your grants office decide whether a specific cost is allowable. DispatchCare is a VectorCare product. VectorCare is a vendor or subcontractor to the subrecipient. It does not administer RHT funds and does not decide allowability.
Name the lines separately so reviewers can see each cost: coordination software (referral intake, mission broadcast, status, and outcome capture); implementation and onboarding (protocols, territories, escalation, training); evaluation and reporting (measures, dashboards, quarterly packs); and, when needed, interoperability (EHR referral launch and ePCR/NEMSIS mapping). Bundling them into one "program" line invites a cut of the part that is hardest to see. This is patient logistics for scheduled community care — not a 911 CAD and not an ePCR.
Non-supplantation asks whether the cost would have been paid anyway. For many states, scheduled preventive community paramedicine visits are not an existing billable service, so coordination and evaluation for a new or newly expanded program are new costs attached to new activity. Say that plainly, and keep emergency response and existing billing on existing funding. DispatchCare is positioned as new program infrastructure plus evaluation — not a replacement for ePCR, CAD, or an existing billable service.
Nothing to join the network and receive missions.
Retention is configurable per customer contract. The federal rule for RHT records is 2 CFR 200.334: recipients and subrecipients keep federal award records for three years from the date they submit the final financial report, and longer if litigation, a claim or an audit starts before the three years end.
No. Emergency calls stay in CAD. The ePCR remains the clinical record of care. DispatchCare coordinates referral, mission, status, and sponsor reporting for scheduled community care.
See a mission go from the chart to the home and back.
A 15-minute walkthrough with a coordinator view, a CP program view and the dashboard your sponsor will read.