Special Election Period (SEP) in effect for Maryland

Special Enrollment Period: Maryland Emergency Declaration - COVID-19 Omicron Variant

Please be advised that a state of emergency was declared for the COVID-19 Omicron Variant ONLY, impacting only the individuals in all Maryland counties. This declaration allows for a one-time Special Enrollment Period (SEP), in the event beneficiaries were unable to make an election during another qualifying election period. Please reference the following guidelines for the incident period. This SEP applies to all the impacted counties in Maryland.

Important Compliance Information

Who is eligible:

This SEP opportunity is ONLY available to beneficiaries who:​

• Reside, or resided at the start of the SEP eligibility period described in this guidance, in an area for which a federal, state or local government entity has declared a disaster or other emergency or they do not reside in an affected area but rely on help making healthcare decisions from one or more individuals who reside in an affected area; and
• Were eligible for another election period at the time of the SEP eligibility period, and;
• Did not make an election during that other valid election period due to the disaster or other emergency.

Details:

Impacted Counties: All Counties

Incident Period: The incident period occurred on January 4, 2022. The declaration was announced on January 4, 2022.

Timeframe: Effective immediately, individuals meeting the requirements listed above can enroll, dis-enroll, or switch MAPD plans until March 31, 2022.

*Note: Eligible enrollments will be effective the first of the month after the application has been processed.

Reminders:

Agents can accept/submit an application by the beneficiary’s request through the following steps:

1. Obtain a compliant Consent to Contact (C2C).
2. Capture a compliant Scope of Appointment (SOA).
3. Host a compliant 1:1 appointment.
4. If the beneficiary is prepared to enroll, complete an application noting this SEP, either by selecting the "Emergency or Major Disaster" option or writing "COVID-19 Omicron Variant ONLY" in the "Other" option. WARNING! Only select one election type.

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