1. (a) General rule. In order to elect a specialized MA plan for a special needs individual (Special Needs MA plan, or SNP), the individual must meet the eligibility requirements specified in this section.

2. (b) Basic eligibility requirements. Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, to be eligible to elect an SNP, an individual must:

   1. (1) Meet the definition of a special needs individual, as defined at § 422.2;
   2. (2) Meet the eligibility requirements for that specific SNP, including any additional eligibility requirements established in the State Medicaid agency contract (as described at § 422.107(a)) for dual eligible special needs plans; and
   3. (3) Be eligible to elect an MA plan under § 422.50.
3. (c) Exception to § 422.50. For plan years beginning before January 1, 2021, CMS may waive § 422.50(a)(2) concerning the exclusion of persons with ESRD.
4. (d) Deeming continued eligibility. If an SNP determines that the enrollee no longer meets the eligibility criteria, but can reasonably be expected to again meet that criteria within a 6-month period, the enrollee is deemed to continue to be eligible for the MA plan for a period of not less than 30 days but not to exceed 6 months.
5. (e) Restricting enrollment. An SNP must restrict future enrollment to only special needs individuals as established under § 422.2.

6. (f) Establishing eligibility for enrollment.

   1. (1) For enrollments into an SNP that exclusively enrolls individuals that have severe or disabling chronic conditions (C-SNP), the organization must contact the applicant's current health care provider, who is a physician as defined in section 1861(r)(1) of the Act, physician assistant as defined in section 1861(aa)(5)(A) of the Act and who meets the qualifications specified in § 410.74(c) of this chapter, or a nurse practitioner as defined in section 1861(aa)(5)(A) of the Act and who meets the qualifications specified in § 410.75(b)(1)(i) and (ii) of this chapter to confirm that the applicant has the qualifying condition(s). The organization must obtain this information in one of the following two ways described in paragraph (f)(1)(i) or (ii) of this section:

      1. (i) Contact the current health care provider or current health care provider's office and obtain verification of the applicant's condition(s) prior to enrollment in a form and manner authorized by CMS.

      2. (ii) Through an assessment with the enrollee using a pre-enrollment qualification assessment tool (PQAT) where the assessment and the information gathered are verified (as described in paragraph (f)(1)(iii) of this section) before the end of the first month of enrollment in the C-SNP. Use of a PQAT requires the following:

         1. (A) The PQAT must do all of the following:

            (1) Include clinically appropriate questions relevant to the chronic condition(s) on which the C-SNP focuses.

            (2) Gather sufficient reliable evidence of having the applicable condition using the applicant's past medical history, current signs or symptoms, and current medications.

            (3) Include the date and time of the assessment completion if done face-to-face with the applicant, or the receipt date if the C-SNP receives the completed PQAT by mail or by electronic means (if available).

            (4) Include a signature line for and, once completed, be signed by the current health care provider specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this section to confirm the individual's eligibility for C-SNP enrollment.

         2. (B) The C-SNP conducts a post-enrollment confirmation of each enrollee's information and eligibility by having the completed PQAT reviewed and signed by the enrollee's current health care provider as specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this section.
         3. (C) The C-SNP must include the information gathered in the PQAT and used in this verification process in its records related to or about the enrollee that are subject to the confidentiality requirements in § 422.118.

         4. (D) (1) The C-SNP tracks the total number of enrollees and the number and percent by condition whose post-enrollment verification matches the pre-enrollment assessment.

            (2) Data and supporting documentation are made available upon request by CMS.

         5. (E) If the organization does not obtain verification of the enrollees' required chronic condition(s) by the end of the first month of enrollment in the C-SNP, the organization must—

            (1) Disenroll the enrollee as of the end of the second month of enrollment; and

            (2) Send the enrollee notice of the disenrollment within the first 7 calendar days of the second month of enrollment.

         6. (F) The organization must maintain the enrollment of the individual if verification of the required condition(s) is obtained at any point before the end of the second month of enrollment.
      3. (iii) Prior to enrollment, the PQAT must be completed by the enrollee, completed by the enrollee's current health care provider, or administered with the enrollee by a provider employed or contracted by the plan. The PQAT must be signed by the enrollee's current health care provider as verification and confirmation that the enrollee has the severe or disabling chronic condition required to be eligible for the C-SNP, which may be done post-enrollment.
   2. (2) [Reserved]
7. (g) Special eligibility rule for certain C-SNPs. For C-SNPs that use a group of multiple severe or disabling chronic conditions as described in § 422.4(a)(1)(iv) of this chapter, special needs individuals need only have one of the qualifying severe or disabling chronic conditions in order to be eligible to enroll.

[70 FR 4716, Jan. 28, 2005, as amended at 74 FR 1541, Jan. 12, 2009; 85 FR 33901, June 2, 2020; 89 FR 30814, Apr. 23, 2024]