[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 54 (Friday, March 21, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13368-13370]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04887]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-40B, CMS-10797, CMS-4040, CMS-R-262 and CMS-
10796]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human 
Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is 
announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention 
to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in 
the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information, including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an 
existing collection of information, and to allow a second opportunity 
for public comment on the notice. Interested persons are invited to 
send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the 
proposed information collection for the proper performance of the 
agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology to minimize the information collection 
burden.

DATES: Comments on the collection(s) of information must be received by 
the OMB desk officer by April 21, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/

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PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using 
the search function.
    To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice, please access 
the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address 
into your web browser: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Parham at (410) 786-4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. The term ``collection of 
information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and 
includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public 
submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. 
Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires 
Federal agencies to publish a 30-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each 
proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of 
information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, CMS is publishing this notice that 
summarizes the following proposed collection(s) of information for 
public comment:
    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with 
change of a previously approved collection; Title of Information 
Collection: Application for Enrollment in Medicare Part B (Medical 
Insurance); Use: Medicare Part B is a voluntary program, financed from 
premium payments by enrollees, together with contributions from funds 
appropriated by the Federal Government. The Social Security Act (the 
Act) at section 226(a) provides that individuals who are age 65 or 
older and eligible for, or entitled to, Social Security or Railroad 
Retirement Board (RRB) benefits shall be entitled to premium-free Part 
A upon filing an application for such benefits. Section 1836 of the Act 
permits individuals with Medicare premium-free Part A to enroll in Part 
B.
    The CMS-40B provides the necessary information to determine 
eligibility and to process the beneficiary's request for enrollment for 
Medicare Part B coverage. This form is only used for enrollment by 
beneficiaries who already have Part A, but not Part B. Form CMS-40B is 
completed by the person with Medicare or occasionally by an SSA 
representative using information provided by the Medicare enrollee 
during an in-person interview. The form is owned by CMS, but not 
completed by CMS staff. SSA processes Medicare enrollments on behalf of 
CMS. Form Number: CMS-40B (OMB control number: 0938-1230); Frequency: 
Once; Affected Public: Individuals and Households; Number of 
Respondents: 1,184,546; Total Annual Responses: 1,184,546; Total Annual 
Hours: 292,820. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Carla Patterson at 410-786-8911 or [email protected].)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with 
change of a previously approved collection; Title of Information 
Collection: Application for Medicare Part A and Part B Special 
Enrollment Period (Exceptional Circumstances); Use: Section 1837(m) of 
the Social Security Act (the Act) provides authority for the Secretary 
of the Department of Health and Human Services to establish SEPs for 
individuals who are eligible to enroll in Medicare and meet such 
exceptional conditions as the Secretary may provide.
    CMS provides SEPs for individuals experiencing an exceptional 
circumstance to enroll in Medicare premium Part A and Part B. To 
utilize these SEPs, an individual would have to submit an enrollment 
request via the form CMS-10797. The form is used by individuals who 
have missed an enrollment period due to an exceptional circumstance to 
enroll in Part A and/or Part B. Individuals complete the form and 
submit it to SSA to complete the enrollment.
    The application form provides the necessary information to 
determine eligibility and to process the beneficiary's request for 
enrollment in premium Part A or Part B due to an exceptional 
circumstance. The form is only used for enrollment by beneficiaries who 
could not enroll during another enrollment period due to an exceptional 
circumstance. Form Number: CMS-10797 (OMB control number: 0938-1426); 
Frequency: Once; Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Business 
or other for-profits, Not-for-profits institutions; Number of 
Respondents: 34,612; Total Annual Responses: 34,612; Total Annual 
Hours: 19,901. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Carla Patterson at 410-786-8911 or [email protected].)
    3. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with 
changes of a previously approved collection; Title of Information 
Collection: Request for Enrollment in Supplementary Medical Insurance 
(SMI); Use: Section 1836 of the Social Security Act, and CMS 
regulations at 42 CFR 407.10, provide the eligibility requirements for 
enrollment in Part B for individuals aged 65 and older who are not 
entitled to premium-free Part A. The individual must be a resident of 
the United States, and either a U.S. Citizen or an alien lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence that has lived in the U.S. continually 
for 5 years.
    Part B is a voluntary program and is financed from premium payments 
by enrollees together with contributions from funds appropriated by the 
Federal Government. All individuals age 65 or older who are entitled to 
Part A can enroll in Part B. There are some individuals, age 65 and 
over who are not entitled to or eligible for premium-free Part A. These 
individuals may, however, enroll in Part B only.
    The CMS-4040 solicits the information that is used to determine 
entitlement for individuals who meet the requirements in section 1836 
as well as the entitlement of the applicant or their spouses to an 
annuity paid by OPM for premium deduction purposes. The application 
follows the application questions and requirements used by SSA. This is 
done not only for consistency purposes but to comply with other Title 
II and Title XVIII requirements because eligibility to Title II 
benefits and free Part A under Title XVIII must be ruled out in order 
to qualify for enrollment in Part B only. Form Number: CMS-4040 (OMB 
control number: 0938-0245); Frequency: Once; Affected Public: 
Individuals and Households, Business or other for-profits, Not-for-
profits institutions; Number of Respondents: 48,642; Total Annual 
Responses: 48,642; Total Annual Hours: 12,161. (For policy questions 
regarding this collection contact Carla Patterson at 410-786-8911 or 
[email protected].)
    4. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: CMS Plan Benefit 
Package (PBP) and Formulary CY 2026; Use: Under the Medicare 
Modernization Act (MMA), Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug 
Plan (PDP) organizations are required to submit plan benefit packages 
for all Medicare beneficiaries residing in their service area. The plan 
benefit package

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submission consists of the Plan Benefit Package (PBP) software, 
formulary file, and supporting documentation, as necessary. MA and PDP 
organizations use the PBP software to describe their organization's 
plan benefit packages, including information on premiums, cost sharing, 
authorization rules, and supplemental benefits. They also generate a 
formulary to describe their list of drugs, including information on 
prior authorization, step therapy, tiering, and quantity limits.
    CMS requires that MA and PDP organizations submit a completed PBP 
and formulary as part of the annual bidding process. During this 
process, organizations prepare their proposed plan benefit packages for 
the upcoming contract year and submit them to CMS for review and 
approval. CMS uses this data to review and approve the benefit packages 
that the plans will offer to Medicare beneficiaries. This allows CMS to 
review the benefit packages in a consistent way across all submitted 
bids during with incredibly tight timeframes. This data is also used to 
populate data on Medicare Plan Finder, which allows beneficiaries to 
access and compare Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plans. Form 
Number: CMS-R-262 (OMB control number: 0938-0763); Frequency: Annually; 
Affected Public: Public sector (Individuals and Households), Private 
sector (Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profit institutions); 
Number of Respondents: 785; Total Annual Responses: 8,337; Total Annual 
Hours: 46,026. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Kristy Holtje at 410-786-2209 or [email protected].)
    5. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Dual Eligible 
Special Needs Plan Contract with the State Medicaid Agency; Use: 
Special needs plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage (MA) plans created by 
the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 
2003 (Pub. L. 108-173) that are specifically designed to provide 
targeted care and limit enrollment to special needs individuals. Under 
section 1859(b)(6) of the Act, D-SNPs restrict enrollment to 
individuals entitled to medical assistance under a State plan under 
title XIX of the Social Security Act (hereinafter referred to as the 
Act).
    Section 1859(f)(3)(D) of the Act and 42 CFR 422.107 established the 
requirement for D-SNPs to have contracts with State Medicaid agencies 
in addition to other contracting requirements that that apply to all MA 
plans. MA organizations with D-SNPs and States use the information in 
the contract to provide benefits, or arrange for the provision of 
Medicaid benefits, to which an enrollee is entitled. CMS reviews the D-
SNP contract with the State Medicaid agency to ensure that it meets the 
minimum contract requirements at Sec.  422.107(c)&(d). CMS uses the 
attestations and matrices in the appendices of this package to identify 
the types of D-SNPs an MA organization(s) offers and the location of 
the contract requirements in the document. Form Number: CMS-10796 (OMB 
control number: 0938-1410); Frequency: Annually; Affected Public: 
Public sector (Individuals and Households), Private sector (Business or 
other for-profits and Not-for-profit institutions); Number of 
Respondents: 886; Total Annual Responses: 893; Total Annual Hours: 
17,403. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Marla 
Rothouse at 410-786-8063 or [email protected].)

William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2025-04887 Filed 3-20-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P