[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 139 (Friday, July 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58741-58743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15882]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10434 #66]


Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Generic 
Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On May 28, 2010, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
issued Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) guidance related to the 
``generic'' clearance process. Generally, this is an expedited process 
by which agencies may obtain OMB's approval of collection of 
information requests that are ``usually voluntary, low-burden, and 
uncontroversial collections,'' do not raise any substantive or policy 
issues, and do not require policy or methodological review. The process 
requires the submission of an overarching plan that defines the scope 
of the individual collections that would fall under its umbrella. This 
Federal Register notice seeks public comment on one or more of our 
collection of information requests that we believe are generic and fall 
within the scope of the

[[Page 58742]]

umbrella. Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
our burden estimates 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 must be received by August 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES: When commenting, please reference the applicable form number 
(CMS-10434 #66) and the OMB control number (0938-1188). To be assured 
consideration, comments and recommendations must be submitted in any 
one of the following ways:
    1. Electronically. You may send your comments electronically to 
http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for ``Comment or 
Submission'' or ``More Search Options'' to find the information 
collection document(s) that are accepting comments.
    2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following 
address: CMS, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs, 
Division of Regulations Development, Attention: CMS-10434 #66/OMB 
control number: 0938-1188, Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.
    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/PRAListing.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Because of system limitations, we are 
submitting this generic collection of information request on an interim 
basis under CMS-10434 (OMB 0938-1188). At the appropriate time we will 
move this request under its proper place (CMS-10398, OMB 0938-1148) and 
subsequently remove it from CMS-10434 to prevent duplication. The 
public can monitor the status of such activities at reginfo.gov.
    Following is a summary of the use and burden associated with the 
subject information collection(s). More detailed information can be 
found in the collection's supporting statement and associated materials 
(see ADDRESSES).

Generic Information Collection

    1. Title of Information Collection: Medicaid and Children's Health 
Insurance Program Eligibility Processing Data Report; Type of 
Information Collection Request: Revision of a previously approved 
collection of information request; Use: The COVID-19 outbreak and 
implementation of federal policies to address the public health 
emergency disrupted routine Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance 
Program (CHIP), and Basic Health Program eligibility and enrollment 
operations. Medicaid and CHIP enrollment grew to historic levels due in 
large part to the Medicaid continuous enrollment condition that states 
implemented as a condition of receiving a temporary federal medical 
assistance percentage (FMAP) increase under section 6008 of the 
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Pub. L. 116-127). In March 
2022, CMS announced that states were required to submit a one-time 
baseline report and an ongoing monthly report on renewal activities for 
their total caseload of Medicaid and CHIP enrollees prior to unwinding, 
including the dispositions of renewals, for a minimum of 14 months 
through the submission of the ``Unwinding Data Report'', hereinafter 
referred to as the ``Eligibility Processing Data Report.''
    The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Pub. L. 117-238) (CAA, 
2023) ended the continuous enrollment condition on March 31, 2023, and 
required states to meet additional conditions, including conducting 
renewals consistent with federal requirements or CMS approved 
strategies, as a condition of receiving increased FMAP through December 
2023. The CAA, 2023 also required states to submit and CMS to publicly 
report data related to redeterminations conducted between April 2023 
through June 2024. Some of the data outlined in the CAA, 2023 are 
collected through the Eligibility Processing Data Report.
    States have faced challenges completing the volume of work during 
unwinding and restoring routine operations, and many states continue to 
process unwinding related renewals. This package describes the 
Eligibility Processing Data Report that states will continue to submit 
to CMS on an ongoing basis to support monitoring and oversight efforts 
for the remainder of states' unwinding periods and to ensure on-going 
compliance with federal eligibility renewal requirements beyond 
unwinding.
    CMS is requiring mandatory state reporting of their efforts to 
restore and maintain eligibility and enrollment operations and 
understand coverage retention under the authority in sections 
1902(a)(4)(A), 1902(a)(6) and 1902(a)(75) of the Social Security Act 
(the Act), 42 CFR 431.16 to ensure proper and efficient administration 
of the Medicaid program, and section 2101(a) of the Act to promote the 
administration of CHIP in an effective and efficient manner. CMS 
announced that the Eligibility Processing Data Report collection will 
continue beyond unwinding in State Health Official Letter #24-002.
    The Eligibility Processing Data Report is a monthly report 
containing metrics on application processing, renewals initiated and 
the dispositions of those renewals and fair hearings that states submit 
using the existing Performance Indicators portal for submission. States 
can correct their data as needed. Given that some renewals remain 
pending at the end of a reporting month, states also submit an update 
to each monthly report to CMS in the fourth month after the report is 
first due to provide more complete renewal outcome data for the renewal 
cohort reflected in the initial report month. States started submitted 
the monthly Eligibility Processing Data Report to CMS in 2023 when they 
began their unwinding periods.
    In addition to changing the title of this collection of information 
request, in this July 2024 iteration we are also extending the existing 
monthly data collection and one-time update to the renewal outcome data 
in each report for the remainder of unwinding as well as beyond 
unwinding. States will continue to submit a monthly report in the 
Eligibility Processing Data Report in the submission portal. States 
will also continue to provide a one-time update to the data captured in 
the monthly report concerning renewal outcomes (metrics 5a, 5a(1), 
5a(2), 5b, 5c, 5d) in the submission portal. To provide the updated 
report, states replace renewal outcome data in the initial monthly 
report in the portal and overwrite their previously submitted data.
    The Eligibility Processing Data Report is accompanied by an excel 
workbook that states may use for planning purposes and a separate 
instruction document (data specifications). The excel workbook is a 
planning tool that was provided to states in 2022 so they could see all 
metrics in the report before they had access to the Eligibility 
Processing Data Report forms in the submission portal. This workbook is 
not submitted to CMS, nor are states required to use it. While this 
workbook is still available on www.Medicaid.gov

[[Page 58743]]

for states, it is not updated for this 2024 iteration as states have 
access to the metrics in the submission portal. The data specifications 
document is updated to reflect the changes made in this 2024 iteration 
of the Eligibility Processing Data Report.
    States submit the application processing data in the Eligibility 
Processing Data Report until states complete working on pending 
applications received before unwinding began and report to CMS that 
zero applications remain pending. When the Eligibility Processing Data 
Report was first launched, states previously submitted a one-time 
baseline report prior to submitting the monthly reports and could make 
corrections to this report as needed. The baseline report form has 
remained available in the submission portal. CMS is not extending the 
use of the baseline report in this 2024 iteration since it was intended 
to be a one-time submission. The baseline report form will also be 
removed from the submission portal in late summer/early fall 2024.
    Additionally, states submitted to CMS a one-time State Report on 
Plans for Prioritizing and Distributing Renewals Following the End of 
the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provisions (``State Renewals 
Report'') that was used to assess state's plans for processing renewals 
and mitigating against inappropriate beneficiary coverage losses when 
states begin restoring routine Medicaid and CHIP operations after the 
public health emergency. CMS is not extending the use of this report in 
this 2024 iteration.
    Form Number: CMS-10434 #66 (OMB control number: 0938-1188); 
Frequency: Monthly; Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal 
Governments; Number of Respondents: 56; Total Annual Responses: 1,344; 
Total Annual Hours: 18,816. (For policy questions regarding this 
collection contact: Shannon Lovejoy at (410) 786-1718.)

William N. Parham III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-15882 Filed 7-18-24; 8:45 am]
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