Inclusion of Terrain Factors in the Definition of Rural Area for Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Grants

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HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is modifying the definition of "rural area" for the purposes of determining geographic eligibility to apply for or receive services funded by FORHP's rural health grants. With a data-driven methodology, this update to the definition of rural area will integrate the new Road Ruggedness Score (RRS) released in 2023 by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This notice responds to comments received on proposed modifications to HRSA's FORHP definition published in the Federal Register on April 26, 2024.