42 U.S.C. § 300d–42 — Preferences in making grants

(a) Substantial uncompensated care awards (1) The Secretary must set each qualifying trauma center's grant level under section 300d–41(a)(1) based on the percentages in paragraph (2), subject to the category rules in section 300d–41(b)(3). (2) The percentages are: (A) 100 percent of uncompensated care costs for Category A centers; (B) up to 75 percent for Category B centers; and (C) up to 50 percent for Category C centers. (b) Core mission awards In awarding core mission grants under section 300d–41(a)(2), the Secretary must: (A) reserve 25 percent of that funding for Level III and IV trauma centers; and (B) reserve another 25 percent for large urban Level I and II trauma centers that (i) have at least one graduate medical fellowship in trauma or a related specialty facing high demand, (ii) either have uncompensated care costs over $10,000,000 a year or have at least 20 percent charity/self-pay/Medicaid emergency visits, and (iii) do not qualify for uncompensated-care grants. (c) Emergency awards In awarding emergency grants under section 300d–41(a)(3), the Secretary must: (1) give preference to trauma centers in areas where access to trauma care has dropped or will drop sharply if the center closes, downgrades, or cannot keep up with demand; and (2) shift any unused emergency award money to the uncompensated-care grant program if there are not enough qualified applicants.