Drug companies and foundations created patient assistant programs (PAPs) to help eligible people with HIV and their providers obtain free or cheaper meds. But filling out a form for each med or company can be a time-consuming hassle, so the process was streamlined in 2012 into one application that works for all PAPs: the Common Patient Assistant Program Application (CPAPA). Recently, the CPAPA was updated.

The update arrives via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in collaboration with seven pharmaceutical companies and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), according to a post on AIDS.gov by NASTAD executive director Murray Penner.

“Since its introduction in 2012, over 10,000 individuals have used the CPAPA to apply for assistance,” Penner writes. “To improve the application process, CPAPA was recently updated to provide clarity of the form’s instructions, ensure completeness of the application, and allow patients and case managers to fill out the form electronically.”

The CPAPA helps achieve the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, Penner notes, explaining that the application “helps reduce barriers to accessing affordable, effective care and treatment. CPAPA allows patients, physicians, and case managers to complete a single application to all PAPs at one time and then submit the application to each PAP that covers the medications the patient needs.”

You can download a PDF of the form on AIDS.gov.