The latest federal appropriations bill extended telehealth flexibilities for occupational (OT) and physical therapists (PT), as well as for speech-language pathologists and audiologists, through Dec. 31, 2027.
Signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 3, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2026 (H.R. 7148) gives clinicians and other health care stakeholders some room to maneuver, after earlier continuing resolutions provided extensions of only 90 days each.
Clinicians, professional organizations, and advocacy organizations have long been asking for telehealth flexibilities to be made permanent — or for a much longer extension to give those organizations time to work with legislators on a permanent fix.
“The two-year extension adopts language from the Telehealth Modernization Act, which was introduced by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii),” the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) said in a Feb. 3 press release. “Medicare telehealth waivers were first enacted by Congress in 2020, and they were periodically extended until September 2025, when telehealth policy became ensnared in the Congressional spending debate that resulted in a 42-day government shutdown and expiration of the waiver. Congress eventually acted to end the government shutdown in November and extended the telehealth waivers through Jan. 30, 2026, and applied them retroactively.
“AOTA has long advocated for the inclusion of occupational therapy practitioners as Medicare telehealth providers. We have worked with Congressional champions to make sure that OTPs [occupational therapy practitioners] are included in any extension of COVID-era telehealth waivers, including this most recent one. We are hopeful that Congress will use the next two years to implement permanent Medicare telehealth policies, including making occupational therapy practitioners permanent telehealth providers to prevent future disruptions.”
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) also announced the extension. AOTA had urged stakeholders to keep pressure on Congress after the temporary spending bill that extended telehealth flexibilities through Jan. 30, 2026.
In a telehealth FAQ document updated Feb. 4, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said, “Through Dec. 31, 2027, beneficiaries can receive Medicare telehealth services anywhere in the United States and territories. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, except for behavioral health services, beneficiaries will generally need to be in a medical facility and in a rural area to receive Medicare telehealth services.”
