The busiest RDS Reconciliation season is approaching – within 15 months after the application Plan Year End Date, Plan Sponsors must complete Reconciliation to finalize their application's Covered Retiree List and submit final cost data to CMS' RDS Center. This is a requirement for each application for which the Plan Sponsor is seeking subsidy. As such, now is the perfect time to familiarize yourself and your Plan Sponsor organization with the new, modernized Reconciliation process in the RDS Secure Website.
The following resources on the RDS Public Website have been updated to help Plan Sponsors complete Reconciliation tasks:
- RDS User Guide Reconciliation section – An overview of the Reconciliation process, followed by dedicated User Guide pages with step-by-step instructions for each Reconciliation step and information on when each step can be completed, what happens after each step has been completed, and whether a step can be reopened after it has been completed. All pages have been updated to reflect the modernized Secure Website.
- Common Questions: Reconciliation - Answers to Common Questions about Reconciliation. Review this page to learn about how to complete Reconciliation, when an application is ready for Reconciliation, and more. All topics have been updated to reflect the modernized Secure Website.
- Reconciliation Modernization Map – A clear, concise matrix that maps the old Reconciliation steps to the new Reconciliation steps. The matrix identifies the old step, the new step that replaces it, who is responsible for completing that step, and any instances where steps were combined or removed to streamline the Reconciliation process.
- New Reconciliation Reset Function for the RDS Secure Website – An announcement detailing the Secure Website enhancement by which the Account Manager and Authorized Representative can perform Reconciliation Resets themselves on the Finalize Covered Retirees page with just a few clicks.
- Important Reconciliation Deadline Information – A table of Reconciliation Deadlines for applications with RDS Plan Years that end on any day within the specified month and best practices for obtaining support for upcoming deadlines.
- Submit or Reopen a Support Request - Step-by-step instructions for submitting support requests to CMS’ RDS Center.
IMPORTANT: To avoid missed program deadlines and delayed subsidy payments, ensure that your RDS user accounts and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) are active and that you are able to access the RDS Secure Website today! Please encourage all users assigned to your RDS applications to log into the Secure Website as soon as possible, and well in advance of your deadline date(s). Do not wait until last minute! For more information, refer to Protect Your Subsidy: Ensure Your RDS User Account and MFA are Active on the RDS Public Website Announcements page.
For more information, contact CMS' RDS Center. Thank you for your continued participation in the RDS Program!