CMS | Disaster Changes Notice

MEDICARE ENROLLMENT & APPEALS GROUP

March 20, 2025
All Medicare Advantage Organizations and Prescription Drug Plans

Withdrawal of Memo Announcing Change to Beneficiary Use of the SEP for Individuals Affected by a Government Entity-Declared Disaster or Other Emergency

This memo announces a withdrawal of the December 3, 2024, HPMS memo entitled “Change to Beneficiary Use of the SEP for Individuals Affected by a Government Entity-Declared Disaster or Other Emergency.” That memo announced a change to how beneficiaries can make an election using the Special Election Period for Individuals Affected by a Government Entity-Declared Disaster or Other Emergency (Disaster/Emergency SEP) by requiring that they contact 1-800-MEDICARE to access the disaster/emergency SEP effective April 1, 2025.

We are withdrawing this memo and will provide further guidance on the SEP enrollment process at a later date. With this withdrawal, the proposed change in process will no longer go into effect on April 1, 2025. Plans should continue to accept applications using the Disaster/Emergency SEP and may continue to use enrollment forms and plan materials that include the Disaster/Emergency SEP.

For MARx submissions, the SEP reason code will remain “01.” For OEC crosswalk purposes, the S reason code via OEC will remain “DST.”

Plan questions can be submitted to our mailboxes:

•Enrollment and Eligibility Policy Mailbox: https://enrollment.lmi.org/deepmailbox

•MA-PD Help Desk: mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov